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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Mexico

6.2Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 35Low

3.1% of people in Mexico do not get enough to eat, about 4.1 million. 13% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.0% are dangerously thin.

3.1%undernourished (2024, FAO)
17%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
13%children under 5 stunted (2022)
1.0%children under 5 wasted (2022)
4.2%children under 5 underweight (2022)
7.1%children under 5 overweight (2022)
22%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
13 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

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. 20009.7
  2. 20069.4
  3. 20127.4
  4. 20186.8
  5. 20266.2

Undernourishment in Mexico since 2002

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

  1. 20023.2%
  2. 20044.1%
  3. 20063.7%
  4. 20083.9%
  5. 20104.2%
  6. 20124.1%
  7. 20144.0%
  8. 20163.9%
  9. 20183.7%
  10. 20203.3%
  11. 20223.3%
  12. 20243.1%

How Mexico compares

Mexico has the 73rd highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 11th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Mexico ranks 35 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 6.2, which the index calls low. It scored 9.7 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Mexico?

FAO estimates 3.1% of people in Mexico were undernourished in 2024, about 4.1 million people. 17% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Mexico?

13% of children under five in Mexico were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates medium. 1.0% were wasted (2022). That ranks Mexico 73 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; Global Hunger Index 2026.

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

All countries