Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Latvia

<5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 1-24Low

Under 2.5% of people in Latvia go without enough food. 0.5% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.7% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)

12%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)

0.5%children under 5 stunted (2021)

1.7%children under 5 wasted (2021)

0.3%children under 5 underweight (2021)

6.5%children under 5 overweight (2021)

19%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)

3 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.

20005.4
2006under 5
2012under 5
2018under 5
2026under 5

How Latvia compares

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

Frequently asked questions

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

Latvia ranks 1-24 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of <5, which the index calls low. It scored 5.4 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Latvia?

Under 2.5% of people in Latvia are undernourished (2024), FAO's lowest band, so hunger in the sense of too few calories is rare.

What percentage of children are stunted in Latvia?

0.5% of children under five in Latvia were stunted in 2021, which WHO rates very low. 1.7% were wasted (2021). That ranks Latvia 129 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.