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Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Bulgaria

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

Under 2.5% of people in Bulgaria go without enough food. 7.0% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 5.9% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
11%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
7.0%children under 5 stunted (2014)
5.9%children under 5 wasted (2014)
1.7%children under 5 underweight (2014)
6.9%children under 5 overweight (2014)
24%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
6 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. 20008.7
  2. 20068.5
  3. 20127.5
  4. 20185.8
  5. 2026under 5

How Bulgaria compares

In Europe & Central Asia it is 11th of 32.

Frequently asked questions

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

Bulgaria ranks 1-24 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of <5, which the index calls low. It scored 8.7 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Bulgaria?

Under 2.5% of people in Bulgaria 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 Bulgaria?

7.0% of children under five in Bulgaria were stunted in 2014, which WHO rates low. 5.9% were wasted (2014).

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 Europe & Central Asia

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