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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Eswatini

16.1Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 76Moderate

15% of people in Eswatini do not get enough to eat, about 190 thousand. 20% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.8% are dangerously thin.

15%undernourished (2024, FAO)
62%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
20%children under 5 stunted (2021)
1.8%children under 5 wasted (2021)
5.0%children under 5 underweight (2021)
9.8%children under 5 overweight (2021)
43%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
45 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

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. 200024.3
  2. 200625.7
  3. 201222.8
  4. 201817.6
  5. 202616.1

Undernourishment in Eswatini since 2002

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

  1. 20029.3%
  2. 200410%
  3. 200614%
  4. 200820%
  5. 201027%
  6. 201223%
  7. 201418%
  8. 201618%
  9. 201816%
  10. 202014%
  11. 202214%
  12. 202415%

How Eswatini compares

Eswatini has the 48th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 38th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Eswatini ranks 76 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 16.1, which the index calls moderate. It scored 24.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Eswatini?

FAO estimates 15% of people in Eswatini were undernourished in 2024, about 190 thousand people. 62% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Eswatini?

20% of children under five in Eswatini were stunted in 2021, which WHO rates high. 1.8% were wasted (2021). That ranks Eswatini 48 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; Global Hunger Index 2026.

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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