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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Cameroon

16.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 77Moderate

4.9% of people in Cameroon do not get enough to eat, about 1.5 million. 29% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.3% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 8.9% in Douala to 41% in Nord.

4.9%undernourished (2024, FAO)
61%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
29%children under 5 stunted (2018)
4.3%children under 5 wasted (2018)
11%children under 5 underweight (2018)
11%children under 5 overweight (2018)
59%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
65 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Cameroon

Children under five too short for their age, the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (2018). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1NordAdamaoua/Nord/Extrême-Nord41%
  2. 2Extrême-NordAdamaoua/Nord/Extrême-Nord37%
  3. 3EstCentre/Sud/Est37%
  4. 4AdamaouaAdamaoua/Nord/Extrême-Nord35%
  5. 5Sud OuestNord Ouest/Sud Ouest28%
  6. 6Nord OuestNord Ouest/Sud Ouest27%
  7. 7CentreCentre/Sud/Est27%
  8. 8SudCentre/Sud/Est26%
  9. 9OuestOuest/Littoral25%
  10. 10LittoralOuest/Littoral19%
  11. 11YaoundéYaoundé/Douala11%
  12. 12DoualaYaoundé/Douala8.9%

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. 200036.8
  2. 200629.4
  3. 201222.2
  4. 201819.4
  5. 202616.9

Undernourishment in Cameroon since 2002

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

  1. 200222%
  2. 200417%
  3. 200611%
  4. 20087.3%
  5. 20104.9%
  6. 20124.1%
  7. 20144.5%
  8. 20165.5%
  9. 20186.3%
  10. 20205.9%
  11. 20225.6%
  12. 20244.9%

How Cameroon compares

Cameroon has the 27th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 22nd of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Cameroon ranks 77 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 16.9, which the index calls moderate. It scored 36.8 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Cameroon?

FAO estimates 4.9% of people in Cameroon were undernourished in 2024, about 1.5 million people. 61% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Cameroon?

29% of children under five in Cameroon were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates high. 4.3% were wasted (2018). That ranks Cameroon 27 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Cameroon has the most malnutrition?

In the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey, Nord had the highest share of stunted children, 41%, and Douala the lowest, 8.9%.

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 (CM2018DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries