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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Peru

6.5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 36Low

5.7% of people in Peru do not get enough to eat, about 2.0 million. 12% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 0.6% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 2.7% in Tacna to 48% in Huancavelica.

5.7%undernourished (2024, FAO)
34%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
12%children under 5 stunted (2023)
0.6%children under 5 wasted (2023)
2.7%children under 5 underweight (2023)
7.5%children under 5 overweight (2023)
30%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
13 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Peru

Children under five too short for their age, the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey (2012). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Huancavelica48%
  2. 2Cajamarca35%
  3. 3Loreto30%
  4. 4Región natural: Sierra29%
  5. 5Huanuco29%
  6. 6Pasco28%
  7. 7Apurimac28%
  8. 8Amazonas27%
  9. 9Ayacucho26%
  10. 10Ancash25%
  11. 11Piura24%
  12. 12Junin22%
  13. 13Región natural: Selva22%
  14. 14La Libertad21%
  15. 15Cusco21%
  16. 16Puno21%
  17. 17Ucayali20%
  18. 18San Martín14%
  19. 19Lambayaque13%
  20. 20Región natural: Resto Costa12%
  21. 21Madre de Dios12%
  22. 22Tumbes10%
  23. 23Arequipa9.1%
  24. 24Ica7.9%
  25. 25Lima5.5%
  26. 26Región natural: Lima Metropolitana4.1%
  27. 27Moquegua4.1%
  28. 28Tacna2.7%

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. 200021.1
  2. 200615.6
  3. 20129.5
  4. 20187.2
  5. 20266.5

Undernourishment in Peru since 2002

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

  1. 200222%
  2. 200421%
  3. 200615%
  4. 200811%
  5. 20108.5%
  6. 20126.6%
  7. 20145.2%
  8. 20166.2%
  9. 20186.0%
  10. 20206.2%
  11. 20226.5%
  12. 20245.7%

How Peru compares

Peru has the 76th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 12th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Peru ranks 36 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 6.5, which the index calls low. It scored 21.1 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Peru?

FAO estimates 5.7% of people in Peru were undernourished in 2024, about 2.0 million people. 34% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Peru?

12% of children under five in Peru were stunted in 2023, which WHO rates medium. 0.6% were wasted (2023). That ranks Peru 76 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Peru has the most malnutrition?

In the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey, Huancavelica had the highest share of stunted children, 48%, and Tacna the lowest, 2.7%.

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 (PE2012DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Latin America & Caribbean

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