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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Liberia

32.3Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 113Serious

37% of people in Liberia do not get enough to eat, about 2.1 million. 30% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.4% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 21% in Montserrado incl. Monrovia to 41% in River Cess.

37%undernourished (2024, FAO)
79%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
30%children under 5 stunted (2019)
3.4%children under 5 wasted (2019)
11%children under 5 underweight (2019)
4.4%children under 5 overweight (2019)
72%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
86 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Liberia

Children under five too short for their age, the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey (2019). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1River CessSouth Eastern A41%
  2. 2BongSouth Eastern A37%
  3. 3MarylandSouth Eastern A36%
  4. 4LofaSouth Eastern A35%
  5. 5Grand BassaNorth Central35%
  6. 6GbarpoluNorth Western34%
  7. 7South Eastern B34%
  8. 8MargibiMonrovia34%
  9. 9Grand KruSouth Eastern A33%
  10. 10Grand Cape MountNorth Western33%
  11. 11BomiNorth Western32%
  12. 12Grand Gedeh32%
  13. 13River GeeSouth Eastern A31%
  14. 14NimbaSouth Eastern A31%
  15. 15Sinoe30%
  16. 16South Central25%
  17. 17Montserrado incl. Monrovia21%

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. 200048
  2. 200640.8
  3. 201236
  4. 201832.4
  5. 202632.3

Undernourishment in Liberia since 2002

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

  1. 200236%
  2. 200436%
  3. 200635%
  4. 200835%
  5. 201035%
  6. 201237%
  7. 201437%
  8. 201635%
  9. 201835%
  10. 202038%
  11. 202238%
  12. 202437%

How Liberia compares

Liberia has the 26th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 20th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Liberia ranks 113 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 32.3, which the index calls serious. It scored 48 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Liberia?

FAO estimates 37% of people in Liberia were undernourished in 2024, about 2.1 million people. 79% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Liberia?

30% of children under five in Liberia were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates high. 3.4% were wasted (2019). That ranks Liberia 26 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Liberia has the most malnutrition?

In the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey, River Cess had the highest share of stunted children, 41%, and Montserrado incl. Monrovia the lowest, 21%.

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 (LB2019DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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