Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Belarus

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

Under 2.5% of people in Belarus go without enough food. 1.2% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.3% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)

1.0%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)

1.2%children under 5 stunted (2023)

1.3%children under 5 wasted (2023)

1.3%children under 5 underweight (2005)

3.0%children under 5 overweight (2023)

18%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)

2 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

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.

2000under 5
2006under 5
2012under 5
2018under 5
2026under 5

How Belarus compares

Belarus has the 125th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Europe & Central Asia it is 28th of 32.

Frequently asked questions

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

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

How many people are hungry in Belarus?

Under 2.5% of people in Belarus 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 Belarus?

1.2% of children under five in Belarus were stunted in 2023, which WHO rates very low. 1.3% were wasted (2023). That ranks Belarus 125 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

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.