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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Honduras

12.3Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 62Moderate

14% of people in Honduras do not get enough to eat, about 1.6 million. 19% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.9% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 6.6% in Islas de Bahía to 48% in Intibucá.

14%undernourished (2024, FAO)
39%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
19%children under 5 stunted (2019)
1.9%children under 5 wasted (2019)
7.1%children under 5 underweight (2019)
4.5%children under 5 overweight (2019)
26%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
15 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Honduras

Children under five too short for their age, the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (2011). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Intibucá48%
  2. 2Lempira48%
  3. 3La Paz39%
  4. 4Copán31%
  5. 5Ocotepeque28%
  6. 6Santa Bárbara27%
  7. 7Comayagua26%
  8. 8Yoro26%
  9. 9Gracias a Dios25%
  10. 10El Paraíso24%
  11. 11Choluteca21%
  12. 12Colón20%
  13. 13Resto Francisco MorazánFrancisco Morazán18%
  14. 14Valle18%
  15. 15Atlántida17%
  16. 16San Pedro SulaCortés16%
  17. 17Olancho15%
  18. 18Distrito CentralFrancisco Morazán14%
  19. 19Resto CortésCortés13%
  20. 20Islas de Bahía6.6%

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. 200021.7
  2. 200617.6
  3. 201213.5
  4. 201812.9
  5. 202612.3

Undernourishment in Honduras since 2002

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

  1. 200220%
  2. 200419%
  3. 200617%
  4. 200815%
  5. 201013%
  6. 201213%
  7. 201414%
  8. 201614%
  9. 201813%
  10. 202014%
  11. 202214%
  12. 202414%

How Honduras compares

Honduras has the 50th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 3rd of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Honduras ranks 62 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 12.3, which the index calls moderate. It scored 21.7 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Honduras?

FAO estimates 14% of people in Honduras were undernourished in 2024, about 1.6 million people. 39% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Honduras?

19% of children under five in Honduras were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates medium. 1.9% were wasted (2019). That ranks Honduras 50 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Honduras has the most malnutrition?

In the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey, Intibucá had the highest share of stunted children, 48%, and Islas de Bahía the lowest, 6.6%.

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 (HN2011DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

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