Skip to content
Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Jamaica

7.8Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 44Low

8.0% of people in Jamaica do not get enough to eat, about 227 thousand. 4.6% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.2% are dangerously thin.

8.0%undernourished (2024, FAO)
56%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
4.6%children under 5 stunted (2018)
3.2%children under 5 wasted (2018)
2.5%children under 5 underweight (2018)
5.7%children under 5 overweight (2018)
24%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
18 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. 20008.3
  2. 20068.4
  3. 20128.3
  4. 20187.8
  5. 20267.8

Undernourishment in Jamaica since 2002

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

  1. 20026.7%
  2. 20046.9%
  3. 20067.3%
  4. 20088.5%
  5. 20108.4%
  6. 20128.0%
  7. 20147.7%
  8. 20167.8%
  9. 20186.4%
  10. 20207.2%
  11. 20227.9%
  12. 20248.0%

How Jamaica compares

Jamaica has the 113th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 25th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Jamaica ranks 44 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 7.8, which the index calls low. It scored 8.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Jamaica?

FAO estimates 8.0% of people in Jamaica were undernourished in 2024, about 227 thousand people. 56% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Jamaica?

4.6% of children under five in Jamaica were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates low. 3.2% were wasted (2018). That ranks Jamaica 113 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 Latin America & Caribbean

All countries