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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Suriname

11.4Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 59Moderate

13% of people in Suriname do not get enough to eat, about 81 thousand. 8.3% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 5.5% are dangerously thin.

13%undernourished (2024, FAO)
36%moderately or severely food insecure (2022)
8.3%children under 5 stunted (2018)
5.5%children under 5 wasted (2018)
6.7%children under 5 underweight (2018)
3.5%children under 5 overweight (2018)
26%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
16 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. 200014.8
  2. 200611
  3. 201210.5
  4. 201810.8
  5. 202611.4

Undernourishment in Suriname since 2002

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

  1. 200211%
  2. 20049.4%
  3. 20068.0%
  4. 20087.3%
  5. 20107.9%
  6. 20128.8%
  7. 20148.8%
  8. 201610%
  9. 20189.7%
  10. 20209.7%
  11. 202212%
  12. 202413%

How Suriname compares

Suriname has the 90th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 18th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Suriname ranks 59 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 11.4, which the index calls moderate. It scored 14.8 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Suriname?

FAO estimates 13% of people in Suriname were undernourished in 2024, about 81 thousand people. 36% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2022).

What percentage of children are stunted in Suriname?

8.3% of children under five in Suriname were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates low. 5.5% were wasted (2018). That ranks Suriname 90 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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