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Hunger · East Asia & Pacific

Hunger and malnutrition in Kiribati

15%of children under five stunted (2018)Medium

3.8% of people in Kiribati do not get enough to eat, about 5 thousand. 15% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.5% are dangerously thin.

3.8%undernourished (2024, FAO)
44%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
15%children under 5 stunted (2018)
3.5%children under 5 wasted (2018)
6.9%children under 5 underweight (2018)
2.1%children under 5 overweight (2018)
49%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
53 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Undernourishment in Kiribati since 2002

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

  1. 20024.4%
  2. 20044.6%
  3. 20064.4%
  4. 20084.1%
  5. 20103.9%
  6. 20123.8%
  7. 20143.6%
  8. 20163.9%
  9. 20184.2%
  10. 20204.4%
  11. 20224.4%
  12. 20243.8%

How Kiribati compares

Kiribati has the 63rd highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In East Asia & Pacific it is 16th of 27.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in Kiribati?

FAO estimates 3.8% of people in Kiribati were undernourished in 2024, about 5 thousand people. 44% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Kiribati?

15% of children under five in Kiribati were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates medium. 3.5% were wasted (2018). That ranks Kiribati 63 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.

Hunger in other countries of East Asia & Pacific

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