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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in the Dominican Republic

5.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 30Low

Under 2.5% of people in the Dominican Republic go without enough food. 6.7% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 2.2% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 3.8% in Region II to 11% in Region VI.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
41%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
6.7%children under 5 stunted (2019)
2.2%children under 5 wasted (2019)
3.0%children under 5 underweight (2019)
7.7%children under 5 overweight (2019)
28%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
31 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in the Dominican Republic

Children under five too short for their age, the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (2013). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Region VI11%
  2. 2Region IV10%
  3. 3Region V7.9%
  4. 4Region I7.2%
  5. 5Region VII7.1%
  6. 6Region VIII6.9%
  7. 7Region III6.8%
  8. 8Region 06.7%
  9. 9Region II3.8%

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. 200015.2
  2. 200614.3
  3. 201211
  4. 20188.3
  5. 20265.9

How the Dominican Republic compares

The Dominican Republic has the 101st highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 23rd of 28.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Dominican Republic's rank in the Global Hunger Index?

The Dominican Republic ranks 30 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 5.9, which the index calls low. It scored 15.2 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in the Dominican Republic?

Under 2.5% of people in the Dominican Republic are undernourished (2024), FAO's lowest band, so hunger in the sense of too few calories is rare.

What percentage of children are stunted in the Dominican Republic?

6.7% of children under five in the Dominican Republic were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates low. 2.2% were wasted (2019). That ranks the Dominican Republic 101 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of the Dominican Republic has the most malnutrition?

In the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey, Region VI had the highest share of stunted children, 11%, and Region II 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 (DR2013DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

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