Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Somalia

47Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 122Alarming

57% of people in Somalia do not get enough to eat, about 11 million. 25% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 14% are dangerously thin.

57%undernourished (2024, FAO)

25%children under 5 stunted (2009)

14%children under 5 wasted (2009)

23%children under 5 underweight (2009)

3.0%children under 5 overweight (2009)

52%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)

101 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.

200064.4
200660.8
201259.6
201851.1
202647

Undernourishment in Somalia since 2002

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

200270%
200470%
200670%
200870%
201073%
201267%
201461%
201660%
201856%
202052%
202253%
202457%

How Somalia compares

In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 28th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Somalia ranks 122 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 47, which the index calls alarming. It scored 64.4 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Somalia?

FAO estimates 57% of people in Somalia were undernourished in 2024, about 11 million people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Somalia?

25% of children under five in Somalia were stunted in 2009, which WHO rates high. 14% were wasted (2009).

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.