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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Uruguay

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

Under 2.5% of people in Uruguay go without enough food. 6.9% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.4% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
16%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
6.9%children under 5 stunted (2018)
1.4%children under 5 wasted (2018)
1.8%children under 5 underweight (2018)
11%children under 5 overweight (2018)
25%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
7 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. 20007.9
  2. 20065.7
  3. 2012under 5
  4. 2018under 5
  5. 2026under 5

How Uruguay compares

Uruguay has the 100th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Latin America & Caribbean it is 22nd of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Uruguay ranks 1-24 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of <5, which the index calls low. It scored 7.9 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Uruguay?

Under 2.5% of people in Uruguay 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 Uruguay?

6.9% of children under five in Uruguay were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates low. 1.4% were wasted (2018). That ranks Uruguay 100 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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