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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in DR Congo

39.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 121Alarming

40% of people in DR Congo do not get enough to eat, about 45 million. 45% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.2% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 14% in Kinshasa to 60% in Kwango.

40%undernourished (2024, FAO)
82%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
45%children under 5 stunted (2023)
7.2%children under 5 wasted (2023)
25%children under 5 underweight (2023)
3.8%children under 5 overweight (2023)
65%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
90 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in DR Congo

Children under five too short for their age, the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (2023). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1KwangoBandundu60%
  2. 2Maniema57%
  3. 3Nord-Kivu56%
  4. 4Sud-UbangiEquateur54%
  5. 5Kasai-CentralKasaï Occident53%
  6. 6IturiOrientale51%
  7. 7LualabaKatanga51%
  8. 8Nord-UbangiEquateur50%
  9. 9Sud-Kivu48%
  10. 10Bas-UeleOrientale47%
  11. 11KwiluBandundu46%
  12. 12Kasai-Oriental (>= 2015)Kasaï Oriental46%
  13. 13TanganykaKatanga46%
  14. 14Bas-Congo46%
  15. 15Haut-LomaniKatanga46%
  16. 16TshopoOrientale45%
  17. 17Haut-KatangaKatanga44%
  18. 18TshuapaEquateur44%
  19. 19MongalaEquateur43%
  20. 20SankuruKasaï Oriental43%
  21. 21KasaiKasaï Occident42%
  22. 22LomaniKasaï Oriental40%
  23. 23Mai-NdombeBandundu39%
  24. 24Equateur (>= 2015)Equateur35%
  25. 25Haut-UeleOrientale35%
  26. 26Kinshasa14%

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. 200048.5
  2. 200639.3
  3. 201237.3
  4. 201836.6
  5. 202639.5

Undernourishment in DR Congo since 2002

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

  1. 200227%
  2. 200427%
  3. 200627%
  4. 200828%
  5. 201030%
  6. 201232%
  7. 201432%
  8. 201634%
  9. 201834%
  10. 202034%
  11. 202238%
  12. 202440%

How DR Congo compares

DR Congo has the 6th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 4th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

What is DR Congo's rank in the Global Hunger Index?

DR Congo ranks 121 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 39.5, which the index calls alarming. It scored 48.5 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in DR Congo?

FAO estimates 40% of people in DR Congo were undernourished in 2024, about 45 million people. 82% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in DR Congo?

45% of children under five in DR Congo were stunted in 2023, which WHO rates very high. 7.2% were wasted (2023). That ranks DR Congo 6 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of DR Congo has the most malnutrition?

In the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, Kwango had the highest share of stunted children, 60%, and Kinshasa the lowest, 14%.

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 (CD2023DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries