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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Namibia

22.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 97Serious

20% of people in Namibia do not get enough to eat, about 622 thousand. 23% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.1% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 13% in Khomas to 37% in Ohangwena.

20%undernourished (2024, FAO)
54%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
23%children under 5 stunted (2013)
7.1%children under 5 wasted (2013)
13%children under 5 underweight (2013)
4.0%children under 5 overweight (2013)
46%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
40 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Namibia

Children under five too short for their age, the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (2013). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1OhangwenaNorthwest37%
  2. 2HardapSouth29%
  3. 3KarasSouth27%
  4. 4OmahekeCentral27%
  5. 5OshikotoNorthwest26%
  6. 6OmusatiNorthwest24%
  7. 7KavangoNortheast24%
  8. 8OtjozondjupaCentral20%
  9. 9OshanaNorthwest20%
  10. 10Kunene19%
  11. 11ZambeziNortheast19%
  12. 12ErongoCentral15%
  13. 13KhomasCentral13%

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. 200026.6
  2. 200626.5
  3. 201224.2
  4. 201821.7
  5. 202622.9

Undernourishment in Namibia since 2002

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

  1. 200217%
  2. 200418%
  3. 200622%
  4. 200826%
  5. 201027%
  6. 201223%
  7. 201421%
  8. 201621%
  9. 201822%
  10. 202022%
  11. 202221%
  12. 202420%

How Namibia compares

In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 34th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Namibia ranks 97 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 22.9, which the index calls serious. It scored 26.6 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Namibia?

FAO estimates 20% of people in Namibia were undernourished in 2024, about 622 thousand people. 54% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Namibia?

23% of children under five in Namibia were stunted in 2013, which WHO rates high. 7.1% were wasted (2013).

Which region of Namibia has the most malnutrition?

In the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey, Ohangwena had the highest share of stunted children, 37%, and Khomas the lowest, 13%.

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 (NM2013DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

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