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Hunger · Europe & Central Asia

Hunger and malnutrition in Turkmenistan

9.4Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 48Low

4.1% of people in Turkmenistan do not get enough to eat, about 312 thousand. 7.2% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.1% are dangerously thin.

4.1%undernourished (2024, FAO)
7.2%children under 5 stunted (2019)
4.1%children under 5 wasted (2019)
3.1%children under 5 underweight (2019)
3.1%children under 5 overweight (2019)
33%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
39 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. 200019.8
  2. 200615.3
  3. 201211.7
  4. 20189.9
  5. 20269.4

Undernourishment in Turkmenistan since 2002

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

  1. 20025.2%
  2. 20044.2%
  3. 20064.4%
  4. 20084.6%
  5. 20104.7%
  6. 20124.6%
  7. 20143.7%
  8. 20163.4%
  9. 20183.5%
  10. 20203.6%
  11. 20224.0%
  12. 20244.1%

How Turkmenistan compares

Turkmenistan has the 98th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Europe & Central Asia it is 10th of 32.

Frequently asked questions

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

Turkmenistan ranks 48 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 9.4, which the index calls low. It scored 19.8 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Turkmenistan?

FAO estimates 4.1% of people in Turkmenistan were undernourished in 2024, about 312 thousand people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Turkmenistan?

7.2% of children under five in Turkmenistan were stunted in 2019, which WHO rates low. 4.1% were wasted (2019). That ranks Turkmenistan 98 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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