Abstract This study aims to estimate the global prevalence rate and disease burden of zinc deficiency from 1990 to 2020 in children under 5 years old. Using data from the WHO Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition and the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, we analysed the prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and deaths attributable to zinc deficiency by sex across 204 countries and territories worldwide from 1990 to 2020.