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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Colombia

6.1Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 33Low

4.1% of people in Colombia do not get enough to eat, about 2.2 million. 13% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.6% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 3.8% in San Andrés to 35% in Vaupés.

4.1%undernourished (2024, FAO)
28%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
13%children under 5 stunted (2016)
1.6%children under 5 wasted (2016)
3.7%children under 5 underweight (2016)
5.7%children under 5 overweight (2016)
22%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
12 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Colombia

Children under five too short for their age, the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey (2010). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Vaupés35%
  2. 2Amazonas29%
  3. 3La Guajira28%
  4. 4Guainía23%
  5. 5Cauca23%
  6. 6Litoral Pacífico18%
  7. 7Guajira, Cesar, Magdalena18%
  8. 8Magdalena18%
  9. 9Nariño17%
  10. 10Boyacá17%
  11. 11Cauca y Nariño sin Litoral17%
  12. 12Córdoba16%
  13. 13Bogotá16%
  14. 14Vichada16%
  15. 15Bolívar Sur, Sucre, Córdoba16%
  16. 16Chocó16%
  17. 17Atlántico16%
  18. 18Atlántica15%
  19. 19Barranquilla A. M.15%
  20. 20Sucre14%
  21. 21Territorios Nacionales14%
  22. 22Orinoquía y Amazonía14%
  23. 23Caldas14%
  24. 24Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Meta13%
  25. 25Cundinamarca13%
  26. 26Arauca13%
  27. 27Pacífica12%
  28. 28Guaviare12%
  29. 29Antioquia sin Medellín12%
  30. 30Cesar12%
  31. 31Huila12%
  32. 32Caquetá12%
  33. 33Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío11%
  34. 34Oriental11%
  35. 35Tolima, Huila, Caquetá11%
  36. 36Bolívar11%
  37. 37Central11%
  38. 38Tolima11%
  39. 39Atlántico, San Andrés, Bolívar Norte11%
  40. 40Risaralda10%
  41. 41Antioquia10%
  42. 42Casanare10%
  43. 43Norte de Santander9.8%
  44. 44Putumayo9.8%
  45. 45Quindío9.6%
  46. 46Santanderes9.1%
  47. 47Santander8.6%
  48. 48Medellín A.M.8.5%
  49. 49Meta7.7%
  50. 50Valle sin Cali ni Litoral7.2%
  51. 51Valle5.9%
  52. 52Cali A.M.5.3%
  53. 53San Andrés3.8%

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. 200010.7
  2. 200611.2
  3. 20128.7
  4. 20186.7
  5. 20266.1

Undernourishment in Colombia since 2002

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

  1. 20028.9%
  2. 200410%
  3. 200611%
  4. 200811%
  5. 201011%
  6. 20128.6%
  7. 20145.8%
  8. 20164.4%
  9. 20184.2%
  10. 20204.2%
  11. 20224.2%
  12. 20244.1%

How Colombia compares

Colombia has the 71st highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 10th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Colombia ranks 33 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 6.1, which the index calls low. It scored 10.7 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Colombia?

FAO estimates 4.1% of people in Colombia were undernourished in 2024, about 2.2 million people. 28% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Colombia?

13% of children under five in Colombia were stunted in 2016, which WHO rates medium. 1.6% were wasted (2016). That ranks Colombia 71 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Colombia has the most malnutrition?

In the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey, Vaupés had the highest share of stunted children, 35%, and San Andrés the lowest, 3.8%.

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 (CO2010DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

All countries