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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Cuba

7.1%of children under five stunted (2019)Low

3.5% of people in Cuba do not get enough to eat, about 383 thousand. 7.1% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 2.0% are dangerously thin.

3.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
7.1%children under 5 stunted (2019)
2.0%children under 5 wasted (2019)
2.4%children under 5 underweight (2019)
10%children under 5 overweight (2019)
18%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
9 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Undernourishment in Cuba since 2002

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

  1. 20022.5%
  2. 20042.5%
  3. 20062.5%
  4. 20082.5%
  5. 20102.5%
  6. 20122.5%
  7. 20142.5%
  8. 20162.5%
  9. 20182.5%
  10. 20202.5%
  11. 20222.5%
  12. 20243.5%

How Cuba compares

Cuba has the 99th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 21st of 28.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in Cuba?

FAO estimates 3.5% of people in Cuba were undernourished in 2024, about 383 thousand people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Cuba?

7.1% of children under five in Cuba were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates low. 2.0% were wasted (2019). That ranks Cuba 99 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.

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

All countries