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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Barbados

7.7%of children under five stunted (2012)Low

5.0% of people in Barbados do not get enough to eat, about 14 thousand. 7.7% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 6.8% are dangerously thin.

5.0%undernourished (2024, FAO)
31%moderately or severely food insecure (2022)
7.7%children under 5 stunted (2012)
6.8%children under 5 wasted (2012)
3.5%children under 5 underweight (2012)
12%children under 5 overweight (2012)
20%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
10 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Undernourishment in Barbados since 2002

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

  1. 20026.4%
  2. 20045.3%
  3. 20064.1%
  4. 20083.1%
  5. 20102.5%
  6. 20122.5%
  7. 20142.6%
  8. 20162.6%
  9. 20182.5%
  10. 20203.5%
  11. 20224.7%
  12. 20245.0%

How Barbados compares

In Latin America & Caribbean it is 20th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in Barbados?

FAO estimates 5.0% of people in Barbados were undernourished in 2024, about 14 thousand people. 31% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2022).

What percentage of children are stunted in Barbados?

7.7% of children under five in Barbados were stunted in 2012, which WHO rates low. 6.8% were wasted (2012).

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.

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

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