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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Nicaragua

12.1Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 84.2*Moderate

17% of people in Nicaragua do not get enough to eat, about 1.2 million. 17% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 2.2% are dangerously thin.

17%undernourished (2022, FAO)
17%children under 5 stunted (2012)
2.2%children under 5 wasted (2012)
4.6%children under 5 underweight (2012)
8.3%children under 5 overweight (2012)
21%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
11 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. 200021.3
  2. 200617.2
  3. 201214.3
  4. 201812.1

Undernourishment in Nicaragua since 2002

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

  1. 200224%
  2. 200423%
  3. 200621%
  4. 200820%
  5. 201018%
  6. 201217%
  7. 201418%
  8. 201616%
  9. 201816%
  10. 202017%
  11. 202217%

How Nicaragua compares

In Latin America & Caribbean it is 5th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Nicaragua ranks 84.2* in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 12.1, which the index calls moderate. It scored 21.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Nicaragua?

FAO estimates 17% of people in Nicaragua were undernourished in 2022, about 1.2 million people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Nicaragua?

17% of children under five in Nicaragua were stunted in 2012, which WHO rates medium. 2.2% were wasted (2012).

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

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