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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Belize

15%of children under five stunted (2015)Medium

4.4% of people in Belize do not get enough to eat, about 19 thousand. 15% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.8% are dangerously thin.

4.4%undernourished (2024, FAO)
13%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
15%children under 5 stunted (2015)
1.8%children under 5 wasted (2015)
4.6%children under 5 underweight (2015)
7.3%children under 5 overweight (2015)
20%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
13 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Undernourishment in Belize since 2002

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

  1. 20025.4%
  2. 20045.1%
  3. 20064.9%
  4. 20084.8%
  5. 20104.8%
  6. 20125.2%
  7. 20145.9%
  8. 20165.7%
  9. 20185.1%
  10. 20204.6%
  11. 20224.7%
  12. 20244.4%

How Belize compares

Belize has the 64th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 8th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in Belize?

FAO estimates 4.4% of people in Belize were undernourished in 2024, about 19 thousand people. 13% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Belize?

15% of children under five in Belize were stunted in 2015, which WHO rates medium. 1.8% were wasted (2015). That ranks Belize 64 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.

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

All countries