Abstract Objectives The objective of this study is to examine the contribution of child, maternal and household factors on undernutrition of children under five years in Ethiopia. Methods We used the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data. We have included 4199 young children (0–24 months) and 5497 older age group (25–59 months), giving a total of 9696 children. Results Among the younger age group 29% were stunted, 14% were wasted and 19% were underweight, and among the older age group prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight were 47%, 8% and 28% respectively. Being female, intake of multiple micronutrients, households having piped source of drinking water, high maternal BMI, higher household wealth, higher maternal education were associated with decreased odds of at least one form of undernutrition in both groups. On the other hand, children who were anemic, had small birth weight, drank from bottle, and children of stunted or wasted or working mother were more likely to be stunted, wasted or underweight in both groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions While most predictors and/or risk factors followed similar pattern across the two groups, child factors had higher leverage in the younger than the older groups across the three forms of undernutrition. Multiple set of factors predicted childhood undernutrition in Ethiopia. The study underscores the importance of intervening in the first 1000 days through promoting maternal education, maternal-child health services, mother's nutrition, and improving the intra household food distribution. Funding Sources N/A.