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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Ethiopia

24.1Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 100Serious

20% of people in Ethiopia do not get enough to eat, about 27 million. 37% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 6.8% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 15% in Addis Ababa to 52% in Benishangul-Gumuz.

20%undernourished (2024, FAO)
60%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
37%children under 5 stunted (2019)
6.8%children under 5 wasted (2019)
21%children under 5 underweight (2019)
2.3%children under 5 overweight (2019)
52%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
45 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Ethiopia

Children under five too short for their age, the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey (2024). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Benishangul-Gumuz52%
  2. 2Afar46%
  3. 3Amhara43%
  4. 4South West EthiopiaSNNPR42%
  5. 5Tigray42%
  6. 6South EthiopiaSNNPR42%
  7. 7Oromia41%
  8. 8Central EthiopiaSNNPR35%
  9. 9Harari35%
  10. 10Somali35%
  11. 11Dire Dawa33%
  12. 12SidamaSNNPR31%
  13. 13Gambela17%
  14. 14Addis Ababa15%

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. 200053
  2. 200642.3
  3. 201231.2
  4. 201824.9
  5. 202624.1

Undernourishment in Ethiopia since 2002

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

  1. 200243%
  2. 200439%
  3. 200633%
  4. 200826%
  5. 201023%
  6. 201221%
  7. 201416%
  8. 201614%
  9. 201817%
  10. 202020%
  11. 202221%
  12. 202420%

How Ethiopia compares

Ethiopia has the 12th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 9th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Ethiopia ranks 100 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 24.1, which the index calls serious. It scored 53 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Ethiopia?

FAO estimates 20% of people in Ethiopia were undernourished in 2024, about 27 million people. 60% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Ethiopia?

37% of children under five in Ethiopia were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates very high. 6.8% were wasted (2019). That ranks Ethiopia 12 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Ethiopia has the most malnutrition?

In the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey, Benishangul-Gumuz had the highest share of stunted children, 52%, and Addis Ababa the lowest, 15%.

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 (ET2024DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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