Hunger · South Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in the Maldives

15%of children under five stunted (2017)Medium

15% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 9.1% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 11% in Central to 20% in North Central.

13%moderately or severely food insecure (2022)

15%children under 5 stunted (2017)

9.1%children under 5 wasted (2017)

15%children under 5 underweight (2017)

4.9%children under 5 overweight (2017)

38%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)

5 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in the Maldives

Children under five too short for their age, the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey (2016). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

How the Maldives compares

The Maldives has the 62nd highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In South Asia it is 5th of 6.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of children are stunted in the Maldives?

15% of children under five in the Maldives were stunted in 2017, which WHO rates medium. 9.1% were wasted (2017). That ranks the Maldives 62 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of the Maldives has the most malnutrition?

In the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey, North Central had the highest share of stunted children, 20%, and Central the lowest, 11%.

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; regions from the DHS Program (MV2016DHS).

Hunger in other countries of South Asia

All countries