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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Malawi

24.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 104Serious

25% of people in Malawi do not get enough to eat, about 5.4 million. 36% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 2.6% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 22% in Likoma to 48% in Ntcheu.

25%undernourished (2024, FAO)
82%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
36%children under 5 stunted (2020)
2.6%children under 5 wasted (2020)
13%children under 5 underweight (2020)
4.4%children under 5 overweight (2020)
55%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
49 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Malawi

Children under five too short for their age, the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey (2024). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1NtcheuCentral48%
  2. 2NenoSouthern45%
  3. 3MwanzaSouthern44%
  4. 4ChitipaNorthern44%
  5. 5DowaCentral42%
  6. 6MchinjiCentral42%
  7. 7Zomba RuralSouthern42%
  8. 8MachingaSouthern42%
  9. 9ZombaSouthern41%
  10. 10ThyoloSouthern41%
  11. 11KasunguCentral40%
  12. 12ChiradzuluSouthern38%
  13. 13NsanjeSouthern38%
  14. 14MulanjeSouthern38%
  15. 15PhalombeSouthern38%
  16. 16MangochiSouthern38%
  17. 17DedzaCentral38%
  18. 18Blantyre CitySouthern38%
  19. 19MzimbaNorthern37%
  20. 20ChikwawaSouthern37%
  21. 21Lilongwe CityCentral36%
  22. 22LilongweCentral36%
  23. 23Lilongwe RuralCentral36%
  24. 24SalimaCentral36%
  25. 25BlantyreSouthern34%
  26. 26BalakaSouthern34%
  27. 27Zomba CitySouthern34%
  28. 28NkhotakotaCentral33%
  29. 29RumphiNorthern32%
  30. 30NtchisiCentral31%
  31. 31Blantyre RuralSouthern30%
  32. 32Mzuzu CityNorthern29%
  33. 33Nkhata BayNorthern28%
  34. 34KarongaNorthern24%
  35. 35LikomaNorthern22%

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. 200043.1
  2. 200632.7
  3. 201224.9
  4. 201821.9
  5. 202624.9

Undernourishment in Malawi since 2002

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

  1. 200223%
  2. 200423%
  3. 200619%
  4. 200816%
  5. 201014%
  6. 201214%
  7. 201416%
  8. 201617%
  9. 201818%
  10. 202020%
  11. 202221%
  12. 202425%

How Malawi compares

Malawi has the 16th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 12th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Malawi ranks 104 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 24.9, which the index calls serious. It scored 43.1 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Malawi?

FAO estimates 25% of people in Malawi were undernourished in 2024, about 5.4 million people. 82% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Malawi?

36% of children under five in Malawi were stunted in 2020, which WHO rates very high. 2.6% were wasted (2020). That ranks Malawi 16 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Malawi has the most malnutrition?

In the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey, Ntcheu had the highest share of stunted children, 48%, and Likoma 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 (MW2024DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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