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Hunger · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Hunger and malnutrition in Pakistan

25.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 106Serious

16% of people in Pakistan do not get enough to eat, about 41 million. 38% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 7.1% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 24% in Islamabad (ICT) to 52% in Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

16%undernourished (2024, FAO)
23%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
38%children under 5 stunted (2018)
7.1%children under 5 wasted (2018)
23%children under 5 underweight (2018)
2.5%children under 5 overweight (2018)
53%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
56 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Pakistan

Children under five too short for their age, the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey (2017). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Federally Administered Tribal Areas52%
  2. 2Sindh50%
  3. 3Balochistan47%
  4. 4Gilgit Baltistan47%
  5. 5Khyber Pakhtunkhwa40%
  6. 6Azad, Jammu and Kashmir30%
  7. 7Punjab excluding Islamabad (ICT)30%
  8. 8Islamabad (ICT)24%

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. 200036.2
  2. 200632.9
  3. 201231.6
  4. 201824
  5. 202625.5

Undernourishment in Pakistan since 2002

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

  1. 200221%
  2. 200418%
  3. 200616%
  4. 200815%
  5. 201016%
  6. 201215%
  7. 201414%
  8. 201612%
  9. 201811%
  10. 202013%
  11. 202217%
  12. 202416%

How Pakistan compares

Pakistan has the 11th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan it is 3rd of 20.

Frequently asked questions

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

Pakistan ranks 106 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 25.5, which the index calls serious. It scored 36.2 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Pakistan?

FAO estimates 16% of people in Pakistan were undernourished in 2024, about 41 million people. 23% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Pakistan?

38% of children under five in Pakistan were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates very high. 7.1% were wasted (2018). That ranks Pakistan 11 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Pakistan has the most malnutrition?

In the 2017 Demographic and Health Survey, Federally Administered Tribal Areas had the highest share of stunted children, 52%, and Islamabad (ICT) the lowest, 24%.

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 (PK2017DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

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