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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Zimbabwe

22.3Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 94Serious

18% of people in Zimbabwe do not get enough to eat, about 3.1 million. 26% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 5.1% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 19% in Bulawayo to 31% in Matabeleland South.

18%undernourished (2024, FAO)
70%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
26%children under 5 stunted (2024)
5.1%children under 5 wasted (2024)
9.6%children under 5 underweight (2024)
4.3%children under 5 overweight (2024)
38%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
65 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Zimbabwe

Children under five too short for their age, the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey (2015). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Matabeleland South31%
  2. 2Manicaland30%
  3. 3Mashonaland Central29%
  4. 4Mashonaland West28%
  5. 5Midlands27%
  6. 6Masvingo27%
  7. 7Mashonaland East25%
  8. 8Matabeleland North24%
  9. 9Harare Chitungwiza23%
  10. 10Bulawayo19%

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. 200035.6
  2. 200632.5
  3. 201227.8
  4. 201825.9
  5. 202622.3

Undernourishment in Zimbabwe since 2002

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

  1. 200232%
  2. 200431%
  3. 200629%
  4. 200827%
  5. 201029%
  6. 201230%
  7. 201434%
  8. 201633%
  9. 201831%
  10. 202028%
  11. 202223%
  12. 202418%

How Zimbabwe compares

Zimbabwe has the 33rd highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 27th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

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

Zimbabwe ranks 94 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 22.3, which the index calls serious. It scored 35.6 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Zimbabwe?

FAO estimates 18% of people in Zimbabwe were undernourished in 2024, about 3.1 million people. 70% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Zimbabwe?

26% of children under five in Zimbabwe were stunted in 2024, which WHO rates high. 5.1% were wasted (2024). That ranks Zimbabwe 33 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Zimbabwe has the most malnutrition?

In the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey, Matabeleland South had the highest share of stunted children, 31%, and Bulawayo the lowest, 19%.

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 (ZW2015DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries