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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Guinea-Bissau

23.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 99Serious

20% of people in Guinea-Bissau do not get enough to eat, about 450 thousand. 28% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.8% are dangerously thin.

20%undernourished (2024, FAO)
63%moderately or severely food insecure (2022)
28%children under 5 stunted (2019)
7.8%children under 5 wasted (2019)
19%children under 5 underweight (2019)
2.2%children under 5 overweight (2019)
68%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
67 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. 200037.7
  2. 200629.8
  3. 201228.3
  4. 201823.1
  5. 202623.9

Undernourishment in Guinea-Bissau since 2002

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

  1. 200216%
  2. 200417%
  3. 200616%
  4. 200815%
  5. 201018%
  6. 201220%
  7. 201427%
  8. 201620%
  9. 201812%
  10. 202017%
  11. 202222%
  12. 202420%

How Guinea-Bissau compares

Guinea-Bissau has the 28th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 23rd of 47.

Frequently asked questions

What is Guinea-Bissau's rank in the Global Hunger Index?

Guinea-Bissau ranks 99 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 23.9, which the index calls serious. It scored 37.7 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Guinea-Bissau?

FAO estimates 20% of people in Guinea-Bissau were undernourished in 2024, about 450 thousand people. 63% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2022).

What percentage of children are stunted in Guinea-Bissau?

28% of children under five in Guinea-Bissau were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates high. 7.8% were wasted (2019). That ranks Guinea-Bissau 28 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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