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Hunger · Latin America & Caribbean

Hunger and malnutrition in Venezuela

8.9Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 46Low

5.3% of people in Venezuela do not get enough to eat, about 1.5 million. 13% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.1% are dangerously thin.

5.3%undernourished (2024, FAO)
13%children under 5 stunted (2009)
4.1%children under 5 wasted (2009)
2.9%children under 5 underweight (2009)
6.4%children under 5 overweight (2009)
28%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
24 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. 200014.3
  2. 200611
  3. 20127.1
  4. 201816.7
  5. 20268.9

Undernourishment in Venezuela since 2002

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

  1. 200214%
  2. 20049.3%
  3. 20066.5%
  4. 20082.6%
  5. 20102.5%
  6. 20122.5%
  7. 20143.9%
  8. 201618%
  9. 201824%
  10. 202018%
  11. 20227.2%
  12. 20245.3%

How Venezuela compares

In Latin America & Caribbean it is 9th of 28.

Frequently asked questions

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

Venezuela ranks 46 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 8.9, which the index calls low. It scored 14.3 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Venezuela?

FAO estimates 5.3% of people in Venezuela were undernourished in 2024, about 1.5 million people.

What percentage of children are stunted in Venezuela?

13% of children under five in Venezuela were stunted in 2009, which WHO rates medium. 4.1% were wasted (2009).

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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