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Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Türkiye

<5Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 1-24Low

Under 2.5% of people in Türkiye go without enough food. 6.0% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.7% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
6.0%children under 5 stunted (2018)
1.7%children under 5 wasted (2018)
1.5%children under 5 underweight (2018)
8.1%children under 5 overweight (2018)
10 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. 200022.1
  2. 200611.6
  3. 20125.4
  4. 2018under 5
  5. 2026under 5

How Türkiye compares

Türkiye has the 106th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Europe & Central Asia it is 15th of 32.

Frequently asked questions

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

Türkiye ranks 1-24 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of <5, which the index calls low. It scored 22.1 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Türkiye?

Under 2.5% of people in Türkiye are undernourished (2024), FAO's lowest band, so hunger in the sense of too few calories is rare.

What percentage of children are stunted in Türkiye?

6.0% of children under five in Türkiye were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates low. 1.7% were wasted (2018). That ranks Türkiye 106 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 Europe & Central Asia

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