Skip to content
Hunger · South Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Nepal

14.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 72Moderate

5.2% of people in Nepal do not get enough to eat, about 1.5 million. 25% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.0% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 18% in Bagmati province to 42% in Mountain.

5.2%undernourished (2024, FAO)
35%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
25%children under 5 stunted (2022)
7.0%children under 5 wasted (2022)
18%children under 5 underweight (2022)
1.3%children under 5 overweight (2022)
45%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
25 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Nepal

Children under five too short for their age, the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (2022). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Mountain42%
  2. 2Karnali province36%
  3. 3Madhesh province29%
  4. 4Sudurpashchim province28%
  5. 5Lumbini province25%
  6. 6Terai25%
  7. 7Hill22%
  8. 8Koshi province20%
  9. 9Gandaki province20%
  10. 10Bagmati province18%

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. 200037
  2. 200630.8
  3. 201224.4
  4. 201818.4
  5. 202614.5

Undernourishment in Nepal since 2002

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

  1. 200222%
  2. 200418%
  3. 200616%
  4. 200813%
  5. 201011%
  6. 20129.3%
  7. 20148.1%
  8. 20165.8%
  9. 20184.4%
  10. 20205.2%
  11. 20225.4%
  12. 20245.2%

How Nepal compares

Nepal has the 37th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In South Asia it is 2nd of 6.

Frequently asked questions

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

Nepal ranks 72 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 14.5, which the index calls moderate. It scored 37 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Nepal?

FAO estimates 5.2% of people in Nepal were undernourished in 2024, about 1.5 million people. 35% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Nepal?

25% of children under five in Nepal were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates high. 7.0% were wasted (2022). That ranks Nepal 37 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Nepal has the most malnutrition?

In the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, Mountain had the highest share of stunted children, 42%, and Bagmati province the lowest, 18%.

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 (NP2022DHS).

Hunger in other countries of South Asia

All countries