Skip to content
Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Kyrgyzstan

7.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 45Low

4.8% of people in Kyrgyzstan do not get enough to eat, about 352 thousand. 14% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.0% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 9.7% in Issyk-Kul to 29% in Osh City.

4.8%undernourished (2024, FAO)
7.4%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
14%children under 5 stunted (2023)
3.0%children under 5 wasted (2023)
2.9%children under 5 underweight (2023)
8.8%children under 5 overweight (2023)
33%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
17 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Kyrgyzstan

Children under five too short for their age, the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey (2012). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Osh City29%
  2. 2Osh Oblast25%
  3. 3Batken23%
  4. 4Bishkek19%
  5. 5Naryn18%
  6. 6Djalal-Abad15%
  7. 7Talas13%
  8. 8Chui12%
  9. 9Issyk-Kul9.7%

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. 200018.5
  2. 200614
  3. 201210.7
  4. 20188.2
  5. 20267.9

Undernourishment in Kyrgyzstan since 2002

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

  1. 200211%
  2. 20047.2%
  3. 20068.0%
  4. 20088.6%
  5. 20107.9%
  6. 20127.0%
  7. 20146.7%
  8. 20166.7%
  9. 20185.9%
  10. 20207.0%
  11. 20226.0%
  12. 20244.8%

How Kyrgyzstan compares

Kyrgyzstan has the 67th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Europe & Central Asia it is 2nd of 32.

Frequently asked questions

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

Kyrgyzstan ranks 45 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 7.9, which the index calls low. It scored 18.5 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Kyrgyzstan?

FAO estimates 4.8% of people in Kyrgyzstan were undernourished in 2024, about 352 thousand people. 7.4% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Kyrgyzstan?

14% of children under five in Kyrgyzstan were stunted in 2023, which WHO rates medium. 3.0% were wasted (2023). That ranks Kyrgyzstan 67 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Kyrgyzstan has the most malnutrition?

In the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey, Osh City had the highest share of stunted children, 29%, and Issyk-Kul the lowest, 9.7%.

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 (KY2012DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Europe & Central Asia

All countries