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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Panama

7.2Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 41Low

4.7% of people in Panama do not get enough to eat, about 215 thousand. 16% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.1% are dangerously thin.

4.7%undernourished (2024, FAO)
16%children under 5 stunted (2019)
1.1%children under 5 wasted (2019)
2.9%children under 5 underweight (2019)
12%children under 5 overweight (2019)
16%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
15 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. 200017.3
  2. 200613.4
  3. 201210.3
  4. 20188.1
  5. 20267.2

Undernourishment in Panama since 2002

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

  1. 200219%
  2. 200416%
  3. 200614%
  4. 200811%
  5. 20109.0%
  6. 20127.4%
  7. 20147.3%
  8. 20166.8%
  9. 20185.0%
  10. 20204.7%
  11. 20225.3%
  12. 20244.7%

How Panama compares

Panama has the 60th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 7th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Panama ranks 41 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 7.2, which the index calls low. It scored 17.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Panama?

FAO estimates 4.7% of people in Panama were undernourished in 2024, about 215 thousand people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Panama?

16% of children under five in Panama were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates medium. 1.1% were wasted (2019). That ranks Panama 60 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

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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