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Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Albania

7.1Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 40Low

5.6% of people in Albania do not get enough to eat, about 132 thousand. 11% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.6% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 3.4% in Berat to 26% in Dibër.

5.6%undernourished (2024, FAO)
32%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
11%children under 5 stunted (2017)
1.6%children under 5 wasted (2017)
1.5%children under 5 underweight (2017)
16%children under 5 overweight (2017)
31%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
9 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Albania

Children under five too short for their age, the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey (2017). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Dibër26%
  2. 2Kukes20%
  3. 3Gjirokastër13%
  4. 4Vlorë12%
  5. 5Durrës12%
  6. 6Elbasan11%
  7. 7Tirana11%
  8. 8Korçë9.6%
  9. 9Lezhë9.4%
  10. 10Shkodër8.6%
  11. 11Fier7.3%
  12. 12Berat3.4%

Global Hunger Index score over time

Out of 100, lower is better. The index rescores past years with the latest data, so these are comparable with each other.

  1. 200015.2
  2. 200615.7
  3. 20129.5
  4. 20186.2
  5. 20267.1

Undernourishment in Albania since 2002

Share of people not getting enough calories, FAO. Each figure is a three-year average centred on the year.

  1. 20025.9%
  2. 20048.5%
  3. 20068.7%
  4. 20087.3%
  5. 20105.4%
  6. 20124.6%
  7. 20144.6%
  8. 20164.4%
  9. 20184.3%
  10. 20205.4%
  11. 20226.2%
  12. 20245.6%

How Albania compares

Albania has the 78th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Europe & Central Asia it is 5th of 32.

Frequently asked questions

What is Albania's rank in the Global Hunger Index?

Albania ranks 40 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 7.1, which the index calls low. It scored 15.2 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Albania?

FAO estimates 5.6% of people in Albania were undernourished in 2024, about 132 thousand people. 32% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Albania?

11% of children under five in Albania were stunted in 2017, which WHO rates medium. 1.6% were wasted (2017). That ranks Albania 78 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Albania has the most malnutrition?

In the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey, Dibër had the highest share of stunted children, 26%, and Berat the lowest, 3.4%.

Sources: FAO (undernourishment, food insecurity), UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Malnutrition Estimates (stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight), WHO (anaemia) and UN IGME (child deaths), as published by the World Bank; Global Hunger Index 2026; regions from the DHS Program (AL2017DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Europe & Central Asia

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