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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Zambia

30.7Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 110Serious

41% of people in Zambia do not get enough to eat, about 9.0 million. 35% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 4.2% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 20% in Lusaka to 45% in Luapula.

41%undernourished (2024, FAO)
46%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
35%children under 5 stunted (2018)
4.2%children under 5 wasted (2018)
12%children under 5 underweight (2018)
5.2%children under 5 overweight (2018)
55%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
48 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Zambia

Children under five too short for their age, the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey (2024). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Luapula45%
  2. 2Muchinga43%
  3. 3Northern43%
  4. 4Eastern36%
  5. 5North-Western35%
  6. 6Copperbelt31%
  7. 7Central28%
  8. 8Western28%
  9. 9Southern27%
  10. 10Lusaka20%

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. 200051.1
  2. 200643.8
  3. 201236.8
  4. 201828.7
  5. 202630.7

Undernourishment in Zambia since 2002

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

  1. 200250%
  2. 200450%
  3. 200648%
  4. 200846%
  5. 201044%
  6. 201241%
  7. 201437%
  8. 201633%
  9. 201832%
  10. 202034%
  11. 202235%
  12. 202441%

How Zambia compares

Zambia has the 18th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 13th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Zambia ranks 110 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 30.7, which the index calls serious. It scored 51.1 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Zambia?

FAO estimates 41% of people in Zambia were undernourished in 2024, about 9.0 million people. 46% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Zambia?

35% of children under five in Zambia were stunted in 2018, which WHO rates very high. 4.2% were wasted (2018). That ranks Zambia 18 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Zambia has the most malnutrition?

In the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey, Luapula had the highest share of stunted children, 45%, and Lusaka the lowest, 20%.

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 (ZM2024DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries