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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Benin

24.3Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 102Serious

11% of people in Benin do not get enough to eat, about 1.6 million. 34% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 8.3% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 19% in Littoral (Cotonou) to 38% in Couffo.

11%undernourished (2024, FAO)
66%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
34%children under 5 stunted (2021)
8.3%children under 5 wasted (2021)
20%children under 5 underweight (2021)
2.9%children under 5 overweight (2021)
71%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
75 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Benin

Children under five too short for their age, the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey (2017). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1CouffoMono/Couffo38%
  2. 2AtacoraAtacora/Donga36%
  3. 3PlateauOuémé/Plateau36%
  4. 4AliboriBorgou/Alibori36%
  5. 5ZouZou/Collines35%
  6. 6BorgouBorgou/Alibori34%
  7. 7AtlantiqueAtlantique/Littoral30%
  8. 8OuéméOuémé/Plateau30%
  9. 9MonoMono/Couffo29%
  10. 10DongaAtacora/Donga27%
  11. 11CollinesZou/Collines24%
  12. 12Littoral (Cotonou)Atlantique/Littoral19%

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. 200032.1
  2. 200627.3
  3. 201224.6
  4. 201824
  5. 202624.3

Undernourishment in Benin since 2002

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

  1. 200213%
  2. 200412%
  3. 200612%
  4. 200811%
  5. 201011%
  6. 201210%
  7. 20149.9%
  8. 201610%
  9. 201812%
  10. 202012%
  11. 202212%
  12. 202411%

How Benin compares

Benin has the 19th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 14th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Benin ranks 102 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 24.3, which the index calls serious. It scored 32.1 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Benin?

FAO estimates 11% of people in Benin were undernourished in 2024, about 1.6 million people. 66% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Benin?

34% of children under five in Benin were stunted in 2021, which WHO rates very high. 8.3% were wasted (2021). That ranks Benin 19 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Benin has the most malnutrition?

In the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey, Couffo had the highest share of stunted children, 38%, and Littoral (Cotonou) 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 (BJ2017DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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