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Hunger · East Asia & Pacific

Hunger and malnutrition in Myanmar

14.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 72Moderate

4.6% of people in Myanmar do not get enough to eat, about 2.5 million. 27% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.4% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 20% in Yangon to 41% in Chin.

4.6%undernourished (2024, FAO)
31%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
27%children under 5 stunted (2018)
7.4%children under 5 wasted (2018)
20%children under 5 underweight (2018)
0.8%children under 5 overweight (2018)
50%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
37 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Myanmar

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.

  1. 1Chin41%
  2. 2Kayah40%
  3. 3Rakhine38%
  4. 4Ayeyarwaddy37%
  5. 5Shan37%
  6. 6Kachin36%
  7. 7Mon28%
  8. 8Sagaing27%
  9. 9Mandalay26%
  10. 10Magway26%
  11. 11Taninthayi26%
  12. 12Kayin25%
  13. 13Bago23%
  14. 14NayPyitaw22%
  15. 15Yangon20%

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. 200041.4
  2. 200629.8
  3. 201220.3
  4. 201816.2
  5. 202614.5

Undernourishment in Myanmar since 2002

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

  1. 200236%
  2. 200429%
  3. 200621%
  4. 200814%
  5. 20109.2%
  6. 20127.4%
  7. 20145.5%
  8. 20163.8%
  9. 20183.2%
  10. 20203.6%
  11. 20224.8%
  12. 20244.6%

How Myanmar compares

Myanmar has the 29th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In East Asia & Pacific it is 7th of 27.

Frequently asked questions

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

Myanmar ranks 72 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 14.5, which the index calls moderate. It scored 41.4 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Myanmar?

FAO estimates 4.6% of people in Myanmar were undernourished in 2024, about 2.5 million people. 31% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Myanmar?

27% of children under five in Myanmar were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates high. 7.4% were wasted (2018). That ranks Myanmar 29 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Myanmar has the most malnutrition?

In the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey, Chin had the highest share of stunted children, 41%, and Yangon the lowest, 20%.

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 (MM2016DHS).

Hunger in other countries of East Asia & Pacific

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