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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Cape Verde

6.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 38Low

8.1% of people in Cape Verde do not get enough to eat, about 43 thousand. 6.0% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 2.4% are dangerously thin.

8.1%undernourished (2024, FAO)
32%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
6.0%children under 5 stunted (2018)
2.4%children under 5 wasted (2018)
2.2%children under 5 underweight (2018)
6.1%children under 5 overweight (2018)
44%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
11 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. 200016
  2. 200613.2
  3. 201212.2
  4. 20188.4
  5. 20266.9

Undernourishment in Cape Verde since 2002

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

  1. 200216%
  2. 200415%
  3. 200614%
  4. 200814%
  5. 201014%
  6. 201215%
  7. 201415%
  8. 201613%
  9. 20189.9%
  10. 20207.8%
  11. 20228.3%
  12. 20248.1%

How Cape Verde compares

Cape Verde has the 105th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 47th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cape Verde's rank in the Global Hunger Index?

Cape Verde ranks 38 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 6.9, which the index calls low. It scored 16 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Cape Verde?

FAO estimates 8.1% of people in Cape Verde were undernourished in 2024, about 43 thousand people. 32% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Cape Verde?

6.0% of children under five in Cape Verde were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates low. 2.4% were wasted (2018). That ranks Cape Verde 105 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 Sub-Saharan Africa

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