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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Chad

38Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 120Alarming

34% of people in Chad do not get enough to eat, about 7.1 million. 32% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.8% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 27% in Moyen Chari to 64% in Kanem.

34%undernourished (2024, FAO)
65%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
32%children under 5 stunted (2022)
7.8%children under 5 wasted (2022)
18%children under 5 underweight (2022)
2.2%children under 5 overweight (2022)
66%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
97 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Chad

Children under five too short for their age, the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey (2014). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1KanemZone 264%
  2. 2LacZone 257%
  3. 3Barh El GazalZone 256%
  4. 4Wadi FiraZone 453%
  5. 5Mayo Kebbi OuestZone 650%
  6. 6Borkou/TibestiZone 250%
  7. 7Ennedi Est/Ennedi OuestZone 249%
  8. 8Mayo Kebbi EstZone 646%
  9. 9Chari BaguirmiZone 545%
  10. 10SalamatZone 345%
  11. 11SilaZone 444%
  12. 12OuaddaïZone 443%
  13. 13Hadjer-LamisZone 543%
  14. 14BathaZone 340%
  15. 15GuéraZone 338%
  16. 16TandjiléZone 733%
  17. 17Logone OccidentalZone 731%
  18. 18Logone OrientalZone 730%
  19. 19N'Djaména 201430%
  20. 20MandoulZone 828%
  21. 21Moyen ChariZone 827%

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. 200049.5
  2. 200646.2
  3. 201241
  4. 201838.5
  5. 202638

Undernourishment in Chad since 2002

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

  1. 200233%
  2. 200432%
  3. 200629%
  4. 200825%
  5. 201024%
  6. 201224%
  7. 201425%
  8. 201626%
  9. 201828%
  10. 202030%
  11. 202231%
  12. 202434%

How Chad compares

Chad has the 23rd highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 17th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Chad ranks 120 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 38, which the index calls alarming. It scored 49.5 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Chad?

FAO estimates 34% of people in Chad were undernourished in 2024, about 7.1 million people. 65% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Chad?

32% of children under five in Chad were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates very high. 7.8% were wasted (2022). That ranks Chad 23 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Chad has the most malnutrition?

In the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey, Kanem had the highest share of stunted children, 64%, and Moyen Chari the lowest, 27%.

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 (TD2014DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries