Hunger and malnutrition in the Marshall Islands
35%of children under five stunted (2017)Very high
35% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.5% are dangerously thin.
35%children under 5 stunted (2017)
3.5%children under 5 wasted (2017)
12%children under 5 underweight (2017)
4.1%children under 5 overweight (2017)
40%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
27 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)
How the Marshall Islands compares
The Marshall Islands has the 17th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In East Asia & Pacific it is 3rd of 27.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of children are stunted in the Marshall Islands?
35% of children under five in the Marshall Islands were stunted in 2017, which WHO rates very high. 3.5% were wasted (2017). That ranks the Marshall Islands 17 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.
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.