Skip to content
Hunger · South Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Bangladesh

19.2Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 84Moderate

8.2% of people in Bangladesh do not get enough to eat, about 14 million. 24% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 11% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 19% in Khulna to 34% in Sylhet.

8.2%undernourished (2024, FAO)
26%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
24%children under 5 stunted (2022)
11%children under 5 wasted (2022)
22%children under 5 underweight (2022)
1.6%children under 5 overweight (2022)
43%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
31 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Bangladesh

Children under five too short for their age, the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (2022). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1SylhetChattogram/Sylhet34%
  2. 2MymensinghDhaka before 201528%
  3. 3Barishal25%
  4. 4ChattogramChattogram/Sylhet25%
  5. 5RangpurRajshahi/Rangpur22%
  6. 6DhakaDhaka before 201522%
  7. 7RajshahiRajshahi/Rangpur20%
  8. 8Khulna19%

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. 200034.6
  2. 200630
  3. 201227.3
  4. 201820
  5. 202619.2

Undernourishment in Bangladesh since 2002

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

  1. 200215%
  2. 200415%
  3. 200616%
  4. 200817%
  5. 201018%
  6. 201217%
  7. 201416%
  8. 201614%
  9. 201812%
  10. 202010%
  11. 20228.9%
  12. 20248.2%

How Bangladesh compares

Bangladesh has the 40th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In South Asia it is 3rd of 6.

Frequently asked questions

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

Bangladesh ranks 84 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 19.2, which the index calls moderate. It scored 34.6 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Bangladesh?

FAO estimates 8.2% of people in Bangladesh were undernourished in 2024, about 14 million people. 26% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Bangladesh?

24% of children under five in Bangladesh were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates high. 11% were wasted (2022). That ranks Bangladesh 40 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Bangladesh has the most malnutrition?

In the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, Sylhet had the highest share of stunted children, 34%, and Khulna the lowest, 19%.

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 (BD2022DHS).

Hunger in other countries of South Asia

All countries