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Hunger · East Asia & Pacific

Hunger and malnutrition in Samoa

7.3%of children under five stunted (2019)Low

3.4% of people in Samoa do not get enough to eat, about 7 thousand. 7.3% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.1% are dangerously thin.

3.4%undernourished (2024, FAO)
18%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
7.3%children under 5 stunted (2019)
3.1%children under 5 wasted (2019)
3.4%children under 5 underweight (2019)
8.7%children under 5 overweight (2019)
36%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
15 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Undernourishment in Samoa since 2002

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

  1. 20023.7%
  2. 20043.6%
  3. 20064.2%
  4. 20084.7%
  5. 20105.1%
  6. 20125.2%
  7. 20144.7%
  8. 20164.7%
  9. 20184.4%
  10. 20203.9%
  11. 20223.8%
  12. 20243.4%

How Samoa compares

Samoa has the 95th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In East Asia & Pacific it is 19th of 27.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in Samoa?

FAO estimates 3.4% of people in Samoa were undernourished in 2024, about 7 thousand people. 18% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Samoa?

7.3% of children under five in Samoa were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates low. 3.1% were wasted (2019). That ranks Samoa 95 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.

Hunger in other countries of East Asia & Pacific

All countries