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Hunger · East Asia & Pacific

Hunger and malnutrition in Vanuatu

29%of children under five stunted (2013)High

5.8% of people in Vanuatu do not get enough to eat, about 19 thousand. 29% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.7% are dangerously thin.

5.8%undernourished (2024, FAO)
23%moderately or severely food insecure (2020)
29%children under 5 stunted (2013)
4.7%children under 5 wasted (2013)
12%children under 5 underweight (2013)
4.9%children under 5 overweight (2013)
31%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
17 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Undernourishment in Vanuatu since 2002

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

  1. 20029.1%
  2. 20048.0%
  3. 20067.0%
  4. 20086.1%
  5. 20105.6%
  6. 20126.1%
  7. 20145.9%
  8. 20165.8%
  9. 20185.8%
  10. 20206.3%
  11. 20226.6%
  12. 20245.8%

How Vanuatu compares

In East Asia & Pacific it is 6th of 27.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in Vanuatu?

FAO estimates 5.8% of people in Vanuatu were undernourished in 2024, about 19 thousand people. 23% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2020).

What percentage of children are stunted in Vanuatu?

29% of children under five in Vanuatu were stunted in 2013, which WHO rates high. 4.7% were wasted (2013).

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.

Hunger in other countries of East Asia & Pacific

All countries