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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Brazil

5.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 27Low

Under 2.5% of people in Brazil go without enough food. 8.0% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.4% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
9.6%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
8.0%children under 5 stunted (2019)
3.4%children under 5 wasted (2019)
3.5%children under 5 underweight (2019)
9.6%children under 5 overweight (2019)
12%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
14 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.

  1. 200011.7
  2. 20067
  3. 20125.5
  4. 20185.7
  5. 20265.5

How Brazil compares

Brazil has the 92nd highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 19th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Brazil ranks 27 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 5.5, which the index calls low. It scored 11.7 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Brazil?

Under 2.5% of people in Brazil 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 Brazil?

8.0% of children under five in Brazil were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates low. 3.4% were wasted (2019). That ranks Brazil 92 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.

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

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