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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Tanzania

20.4Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 87Serious

19% of people in Tanzania do not get enough to eat, about 13 million. 30% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.1% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 13% in Mjini Magharibi to 57% in Iringa.

19%undernourished (2024, FAO)
57%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
30%children under 5 stunted (2022)
3.1%children under 5 wasted (2022)
11%children under 5 underweight (2022)
3.7%children under 5 overweight (2022)
56%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
37 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Tanzania

Children under five too short for their age, the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (2022). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1IringaSouthern Highlands57%
  2. 2NjombeSouthern Highlands50%
  3. 3RukwaSouth West Highlands50%
  4. 4GeitaLake39%
  5. 5RuvumaSouthern Highlands36%
  6. 6KageraLake34%
  7. 7SimiyuLake33%
  8. 8TaboraWestern33%
  9. 9KataviSouth West Highlands32%
  10. 10ManyaraCentral32%
  11. 11SongweSouth West Highlands32%
  12. 12Mbeya (since 2016)South West Highlands32%
  13. 13ArushaNorthern31%
  14. 14DodomaCentral31%
  15. 15MorogoroEastern31%
  16. 16Kaskazini UngujaZanzibar29%
  17. 17MwanzaLake28%
  18. 18ShinyangaLake28%
  19. 19KigomaWestern27%
  20. 20SingidaCentral26%
  21. 21TangaNorthern24%
  22. 22MaraLake23%
  23. 23MtwaraSouthern22%
  24. 24Kaskazini PembaZanzibar22%
  25. 25LindiSouthern21%
  26. 26KilimanjaroNorthern20%
  27. 27PwaniEastern20%
  28. 28Dar es SalaamEastern18%
  29. 29Kusini PembaZanzibar17%
  30. 30Kusini UngujaZanzibar17%
  31. 31Mjini MagharibiZanzibar13%

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. 200040.3
  2. 200631.8
  3. 201226.8
  4. 201823.9
  5. 202620.4

Undernourishment in Tanzania since 2002

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

  1. 200234%
  2. 200432%
  3. 200627%
  4. 200825%
  5. 201024%
  6. 201222%
  7. 201421%
  8. 201622%
  9. 201823%
  10. 202024%
  11. 202222%
  12. 202419%

How Tanzania compares

Tanzania has the 25th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 19th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Tanzania ranks 87 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 20.4, which the index calls serious. It scored 40.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Tanzania?

FAO estimates 19% of people in Tanzania were undernourished in 2024, about 13 million people. 57% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Tanzania?

30% of children under five in Tanzania were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates very high. 3.1% were wasted (2022). That ranks Tanzania 25 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Tanzania has the most malnutrition?

In the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, Iringa had the highest share of stunted children, 57%, and Mjini Magharibi the lowest, 13%.

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 (TZ2022DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries