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Hunger · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Hunger and malnutrition in Jordan

9.4Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 48Low

12% of people in Jordan do not get enough to eat, about 1.4 million. 8.2% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 2.3% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 4.8% in Ajloun to 15% in Mafraq.

12%undernourished (2024, FAO)
8.2%children under 5 stunted (2023)
2.3%children under 5 wasted (2023)
2.5%children under 5 underweight (2023)
9.2%children under 5 overweight (2023)
33%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
13 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Jordan

Children under five too short for their age, the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (2023). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1MafraqNorth15%
  2. 2Ma'anSouth13%
  3. 3TafielaSouth13%
  4. 4MadabaCentral11%
  5. 5ZarqaCentral9.4%
  6. 6AqabaSouth8.8%
  7. 7AmmanCentral7.9%
  8. 8BalqaCentral7.9%
  9. 9JarashNorth7.8%
  10. 10KarakSouth6.7%
  11. 11IrbidNorth6.6%
  12. 12AjlounNorth4.8%

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. 200010.2
  2. 20067.6
  3. 20128.5
  4. 20189.5
  5. 20269.4

Undernourishment in Jordan since 2002

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

  1. 20027.2%
  2. 20045.4%
  3. 20065.6%
  4. 20086.6%
  5. 20108.1%
  6. 20128.7%
  7. 20147.2%
  8. 20169.4%
  9. 201814%
  10. 202020%
  11. 202216%
  12. 202412%

How Jordan compares

Jordan has the 91st highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan it is 15th of 20.

Frequently asked questions

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

Jordan ranks 48 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 9.4, which the index calls low. It scored 10.2 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Jordan?

FAO estimates 12% of people in Jordan were undernourished in 2024, about 1.4 million people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Jordan?

8.2% of children under five in Jordan were stunted in 2023, which WHO rates low. 2.3% were wasted (2023). That ranks Jordan 91 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Jordan has the most malnutrition?

In the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, Mafraq had the highest share of stunted children, 15%, and Ajloun the lowest, 4.8%.

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 (JO2023DHS).

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