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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Uganda

20.7Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 88Serious

21% of people in Uganda do not get enough to eat, about 11 million. 24% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 3.2% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 14% in Teso to 41% in Tooro.

21%undernourished (2024, FAO)
52%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
24%children under 5 stunted (2022)
3.2%children under 5 wasted (2022)
9.7%children under 5 underweight (2022)
3.4%children under 5 overweight (2022)
52%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
49 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Uganda

Children under five too short for their age, the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey (2016). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Tooro41%
  2. 2Western38%
  3. 3Mountains37%
  4. 4Bugisu/Elgon36%
  5. 5Karamoja35%
  6. 6Bunyoro35%
  7. 7West Nile34%
  8. 8Kigezi31%
  9. 9Acholi31%
  10. 10South West30%
  11. 11Ankole29%
  12. 12East Central29%
  13. 13Busoga29%
  14. 14North Buganda28%
  15. 15Islands27%
  16. 16South Buganda27%
  17. 17Northern26%
  18. 18Eastern23%
  19. 19Bukedi23%
  20. 20Lango22%
  21. 21Greater Kampala20%
  22. 22Kampala18%
  23. 23Teso14%

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. 200035.8
  2. 200630.5
  3. 201225.1
  4. 201828.7
  5. 202620.7

Undernourishment in Uganda since 2002

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

  1. 200220%
  2. 200418%
  3. 200619%
  4. 200820%
  5. 201018%
  6. 201220%
  7. 201425%
  8. 201636%
  9. 201838%
  10. 202033%
  11. 202224%
  12. 202421%

How Uganda compares

Uganda has the 38th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 31st of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Uganda ranks 88 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 20.7, which the index calls serious. It scored 35.8 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Uganda?

FAO estimates 21% of people in Uganda were undernourished in 2024, about 11 million people. 52% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Uganda?

24% of children under five in Uganda were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates high. 3.2% were wasted (2022). That ranks Uganda 38 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Uganda has the most malnutrition?

In the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey, Tooro had the highest share of stunted children, 41%, and Teso the lowest, 14%.

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 (UG2016DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries