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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Mali

20.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 88Serious

12% of people in Mali do not get enough to eat, about 3.0 million. 25% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 5.4% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 14% in Bamako to 41% in Gao.

12%undernourished (2024, FAO)
21%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
25%children under 5 stunted (2024)
5.4%children under 5 wasted (2024)
15%children under 5 underweight (2024)
1.4%children under 5 overweight (2024)
79%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
73 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Mali

Children under five too short for their age, the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (2023). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1GaoMopti, Tombouctou/Gao, Kidal41%
  2. 2Kidal/Gao/TombouctouMopti, Tombouctou/Gao, Kidal37%
  3. 3MoptiMopti, Tombouctou/Gao, Kidal34%
  4. 4SikassoSikasso, Ségou31%
  5. 5TombouctouMopti, Tombouctou/Gao, Kidal30%
  6. 6KoulikoroKayes, Koulikoro25%
  7. 7KayesKayes, Koulikoro23%
  8. 8SégouSikasso, Ségou21%
  9. 9Bamako14%

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. 200040.6
  2. 200636
  3. 201227.1
  4. 201822.4
  5. 202620.5

Undernourishment in Mali since 2002

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

  1. 200214%
  2. 200413%
  3. 200610%
  4. 20088.0%
  5. 20107.0%
  6. 20126.2%
  7. 20146.0%
  8. 20165.5%
  9. 20185.0%
  10. 20204.7%
  11. 20229.9%
  12. 202412%

How Mali compares

Mali has the 35th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 29th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Mali ranks 88 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 20.5, which the index calls serious. It scored 40.6 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Mali?

FAO estimates 12% of people in Mali were undernourished in 2024, about 3.0 million people. 21% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Mali?

25% of children under five in Mali were stunted in 2024, which WHO rates high. 5.4% were wasted (2024). That ranks Mali 35 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Mali has the most malnutrition?

In the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, Gao had the highest share of stunted children, 41%, and Bamako the lowest, 14%.

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 (ML2023DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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