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Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Armenia

<5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 1-24Low

Under 2.5% of people in Armenia go without enough food. 9.4% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.4% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 3.5% in Yerevan to 20% in Shirak.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
7.1%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
9.4%children under 5 stunted (2016)
4.4%children under 5 wasted (2016)
2.6%children under 5 underweight (2016)
14%children under 5 overweight (2016)
20%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
10 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Armenia

Children under five too short for their age, the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey (2016). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Shirak20%
  2. 2Aragatsotn18%
  3. 3Ararat14%
  4. 4Syunik12%
  5. 5Vayots Dzor12%
  6. 6Gegharkunik9.9%
  7. 7Armavir9.7%
  8. 8Kotayk7.7%
  9. 9Tavush7.4%
  10. 10Lori5.6%
  11. 11Yerevan3.5%

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. 200020.3
  2. 200614.4
  3. 20127.8
  4. 20186.2
  5. 2026under 5

How Armenia compares

Armenia has the 84th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Europe & Central Asia it is 6th of 32.

Frequently asked questions

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

Armenia ranks 1-24 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of <5, which the index calls low. It scored 20.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Armenia?

Under 2.5% of people in Armenia are undernourished (2024), FAO's lowest band, so hunger in the sense of too few calories is rare.

What percentage of children are stunted in Armenia?

9.4% of children under five in Armenia were stunted in 2016, which WHO rates low. 4.4% were wasted (2016). That ranks Armenia 84 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Armenia has the most malnutrition?

In the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey, Shirak had the highest share of stunted children, 20%, and Yerevan the lowest, 3.5%.

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 (AM2016DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Europe & Central Asia

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