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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Kenya

25Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 105Serious

35% of people in Kenya do not get enough to eat, about 20 million. 18% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.5% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 9.0% in Garissa to 37% in Kilifi.

35%undernourished (2024, FAO)
72%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
18%children under 5 stunted (2022)
4.5%children under 5 wasted (2022)
9.8%children under 5 underweight (2022)
3.4%children under 5 overweight (2022)
43%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
39 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Kenya

Children under five too short for their age, the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (2022). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1KilifiCoast37%
  2. 2West PokotRift Valley34%
  3. 3SamburuRift Valley31%
  4. 4MeruEastern25%
  5. 5KituiEastern25%
  6. 6TurkanaRift Valley23%
  7. 7KwaleCoast23%
  8. 8BometRift Valley22%
  9. 9Elgeyo MarakwetRift Valley22%
  10. 10NarokRift Valley22%
  11. 11Trans-NzoiaRift Valley21%
  12. 12BaringoRift Valley21%
  13. 13Tana RiverCoast21%
  14. 14ManderaNorth Eastern21%
  15. 15Tharaka-NithiEastern21%
  16. 16EmbuEastern20%
  17. 17MakueniEastern20%
  18. 18KerichoRift Valley19%
  19. 19Taita TavetaCoast19%
  20. 20SiayaNyanza19%
  21. 21BungomaWestern19%
  22. 22MarsabitEastern19%
  23. 23NakuruRift Valley19%
  24. 24NyandaruaCentral18%
  25. 25VihigaWestern17%
  26. 26KisiiNyanza16%
  27. 27MachakosEastern16%
  28. 28LamuCoast16%
  29. 29KiambuCentral15%
  30. 30NandiRift Valley15%
  31. 31BusiaWestern15%
  32. 32MigoriNyanza15%
  33. 33Uasin GishuRift Valley14%
  34. 34IsioloEastern14%
  35. 35KajiadoRift Valley14%
  36. 36MombasaCoast14%
  37. 37NyamiraNyanza14%
  38. 38LaikipiaRift Valley13%
  39. 39NyeriCentral13%
  40. 40Homa BayNyanza13%
  41. 41WajirNorth Eastern12%
  42. 42KakamegaWestern12%
  43. 43KirinyagaCentral11%
  44. 44Nairobi11%
  45. 45Murang'aCentral10%
  46. 46KisumuNyanza9.1%
  47. 47GarissaNorth Eastern9.0%

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. 200035.6
  2. 200629.8
  3. 201223.4
  4. 201823.4
  5. 202625

Undernourishment in Kenya since 2002

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

  1. 200233%
  2. 200432%
  3. 200626%
  4. 200827%
  5. 201022%
  6. 201220%
  7. 201419%
  8. 201623%
  9. 201825%
  10. 202029%
  11. 202236%
  12. 202435%

How Kenya compares

Kenya has the 54th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 40th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Kenya ranks 105 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 25, which the index calls serious. It scored 35.6 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Kenya?

FAO estimates 35% of people in Kenya were undernourished in 2024, about 20 million people. 72% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Kenya?

18% of children under five in Kenya were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates medium. 4.5% were wasted (2022). That ranks Kenya 54 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Kenya has the most malnutrition?

In the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, Kilifi had the highest share of stunted children, 37%, and Garissa the lowest, 9.0%.

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 (KE2022DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries