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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Madagascar

36.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 119Alarming

42% of people in Madagascar do not get enough to eat, about 14 million. 40% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.2% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 22% in Diana to 52% in Vakinankarata.

42%undernourished (2024, FAO)
61%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
40%children under 5 stunted (2021)
7.2%children under 5 wasted (2021)
23%children under 5 underweight (2021)
1.9%children under 5 overweight (2021)
50%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
62 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Madagascar

Children under five too short for their age, the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey (2021). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1VakinankarataAntananarivo52%
  2. 2ItasyAntananarivo52%
  3. 3Haute MatsiatraFianarantsoa49%
  4. 4Anamoroni'i ManiaFianarantsoa49%
  5. 5Atsimo AtsinananaFianarantsoa49%
  6. 6Analamanga excluding capitalAntananarivo48%
  7. 7AnalamangaAntananarivo47%
  8. 8AnosyToliary47%
  9. 9Vatovavy FitovinanyFianarantsoa46%
  10. 10AndroyToliary45%
  11. 11Alaotra MangoroToamasina45%
  12. 12Antananarivo capitalAntananarivo44%
  13. 13BongolavaAntananarivo38%
  14. 14AtsinananaToamasina38%
  15. 15AnalanjirofoToamasina36%
  16. 16MenabeToliary35%
  17. 17IhorombeFianarantsoa33%
  18. 18SavaAntsiranana31%
  19. 19BetsibokaMahajanga30%
  20. 20BoenyMahajanga29%
  21. 21SofiaMahajanga28%
  22. 22Atsimo AndrefanaToliary27%
  23. 23MelakyMahajanga22%
  24. 24DianaAntsiranana22%

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. 200041.9
  2. 200639.2
  3. 201233.6
  4. 201835.7
  5. 202636.5

Undernourishment in Madagascar since 2002

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

  1. 200235%
  2. 200435%
  3. 200631%
  4. 200830%
  5. 201028%
  6. 201229%
  7. 201432%
  8. 201635%
  9. 201838%
  10. 202041%
  11. 202239%
  12. 202442%

How Madagascar compares

Madagascar has the 8th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 5th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Madagascar ranks 119 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 36.5, which the index calls alarming. It scored 41.9 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Madagascar?

FAO estimates 42% of people in Madagascar were undernourished in 2024, about 14 million people. 61% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Madagascar?

40% of children under five in Madagascar were stunted in 2021, which WHO rates very high. 7.2% were wasted (2021). That ranks Madagascar 8 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Madagascar has the most malnutrition?

In the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey, Vakinankarata had the highest share of stunted children, 52%, and Diana the lowest, 22%.

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 (MD2021DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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