Sierra Leone ranked 108th out of 123 countries in the 2025 Global Hunger Index, recording a score of 28.5, a level classified as “serious.”
The index shows that 24.1% of the population is undernourished, 25.2% of children under five are stunted, 6.3% are wasted, and 9.4% of children die before their fifth birthday.
The Global Hunger Index is published jointly by Welthungerhilfe, Concern Worldwide, and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV). The 100-point scale measures hunger severity, with 0 representing no hunger and 100 the worst possible score. Sierra Leone’s score has improved from 57.8 in 2000, which fell into the “very high” hunger category, to 41.1 in 2008 and 32.4 in 2016.
Data for the 2025 GHI scores and child wasting were drawn from 2020 to 2024, while undernourishment figures cover 2022 to 2024. Child mortality data are from 2023, and child stunting data are from 2024.
The index defines child stunting as low height for age, reflecting chronic undernutrition, while child wasting refers to low weight for height, indicating acute undernutrition.
Child mortality partly reflects the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.
