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Dominican Republic exits FAO hunger map after two decades of declining hunger

Dominican Republic exits FAO hunger map after two decades of declining hunger

New Capabilities

Undernourishment fell from 21.3% of the population in 2006 to below 2.5% in 2025 — one of only five Latin American exits

October 27th, 2026: Abinader awards FAO chief the Order of Duarte, Sánchez y Mella

Overview

Updated Oct 30

The Dominican Republic has left the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hunger map. Undernourishment fell from 21.3 percent of the population in 2006 to below 2.5 percent in the 2023–2025 period. On October 27, FAO Director General QU Dongyu ended a five-day visit by praising the country's record and presenting President Luis Abinader with the Order of Duarte, Sánchez y Mella.

Monetary poverty averaged 14.58 percent in the first half of 2026, down from 17.35 percent a year earlier, Vice President Raquel Peña said. Abinader told a Rome interviewer that poverty could near 14 percent by the end of 2026. Food insecurity has not ended: FAO says 16.2 percent of Dominicans, about 1.9 million people, could not afford a healthy diet in 2025. Food banks still assist about 20,000 people a month, and about 1.2 million kilograms of food are wasted weekly.

Why it matters

The Dominican Republic shows a middle-income country can end chronic hunger in a generation through sustained farm and social policy, not wealth alone.

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Key Indicators

Below 2.5%
Undernourishment prevalence
Down from 21.3% of the population in 2006; the FAO threshold for leaving its hunger map.
17.3%
Monetary poverty rate, 2025
Fell from 41.1% in 2015 to 17.3% in 2025.
14.58%
Monetary poverty rate, first half 2026
Preliminary average for January-June 2026, down from 17.35% in the same period of 2025, per Vice President Raquel Peña.
2.2%
Extreme poverty rate
Down from 8.7% in 2015.
16.2%
Population unable to afford a healthy diet, 2025
About 1.9 million people, according to FAO figures presented by its Torero during the visit; estimated daily cost of a healthy diet is $5.60 (PPP).
+122.3%
Per-capita food production growth
Growth from 2004 to 2024; domestic output now covers more than 85% of food demand.
2.2M+
Students covered by school feeding
Up from 1.7 million students in 2019.
+43.7%
Real household income growth per capita
From 2015 to 2025, a key driver of the hunger decline.

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People Involved

Luis Abinader
Luis Abinader
President of the Dominican Republic
In office; announced the country's exit from the FAO hunger map in Rome, and on October 24 projected poverty near 14% by the end of 2026.
 QU Dongyu
QU Dongyu
Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization
Completed a five-day visit to the Dominican Republic on October 27, 2026. Praised the country's exit from the hunger map as an extraordinary achievement and received the Order of Duarte, Sánchez y Mella from President Abinader the same day.
DC
Daris Javier Cuevas
Professor, School of Economics, Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD)
Public counterpoint to celebratory readings of the hunger-map exit
RP
Raquel Peña
Vice President of the Dominican Republic
Has presented preliminary poverty data showing monetary poverty at 14.58% in the first half of 2026

Organizations Involved

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
United Nations agency
Publisher of the hunger map; certified the Dominican Republic's exit

The United Nations agency that tracks global hunger and maintains the hunger map.
MA
Ministry of Agriculture, Dominican Republic
Government ministry
Implements the agricultural policies behind the hunger gains

The government body carrying out farm financing, irrigation, and input subsidies credited for the exit.
NI
National Institute for Student Welfare (INABIE)
Government agency
Runs the national school feeding program

Administers Dominican school feeding, which grew from 1.7 million students in 2019 to more than 2.2 million by 2025.

Timeline

2006 October 2026

13 events Latest: October 27th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago Showing 8 of 13
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  1. Abinader awards FAO chief the Order of Duarte, Sánchez y Mella

    Latest Recognition

    At the World Food Day commemoration, Abinader gave Qu Dongyu the Dominican Republic's Order of Duarte, Sánchez y Mella under Decree 753-26. The award recognizes contributions to strengthening food systems.

  2. Qu Dongyu ends five-day visit at National Palace

    Diplomacy

    In a speech at the National Palace in Santo Domingo, Qu called the hunger-map exit an extraordinary achievement. He said the country's experience shows that cutting hunger requires sustained political commitment.

  3. Qu Dongyu visits Supérate farm project in Higüey

    Diplomacy

    Qu toured the María Ruiz production unit in Jobo Dulce, which pairs social protection with training and food production. Supérate director Mayra Jiménez said the program serves 28,580 households in La Altagracia province.

  4. Tourism ministry briefs FAO chief in Punta Cana

    Diplomacy

    The Ministry of Tourism presented Qu Dongyu a plan on how tourism supports agricultural production and formal food markets.

  5. Abinader projects poverty near 14% by year-end

    Statement

    In an interview with journalist Ghida Fakhry, published that week, Abinader said poverty could fall to about 14% in 2026, from 26% in 2019.

  6. FAO chief arrives in the Dominican Republic

    Diplomacy

    Qu Dongyu arrived for a visit through October 27 with a high-level FAO delegation. The agenda includes meetings with officials, private-sector representatives and allied agencies.

  7. FAO formally recognizes the Dominican Republic

    Recognition

    FAO Director General Qu Dongyu honors Abinader at the closing of the World Food Forum in Rome.

  8. FAO chief meets Abinader, plans Dominican visit

    Diplomacy

    Qu Dongyu met Abinader at FAO headquarters during the World Food Forum and said the organization looked forward to his visit to the Dominican Republic in the coming weeks.

  9. Abinader announces the exit in Rome

    Statement

    During the World Food Forum, the president tells FAO representatives the country has left the hunger map.

  10. Monetary poverty reported at 14.58% for first half of 2026

    Data

    Preliminary figures for January-June 2026 put monetary poverty at 14.58%, down from 17.35% in the same period of 2025, Vice President Raquel Peña said.

  11. Undernourishment falls below 2.5 percent

    Milestone

    Prevalence crosses the FAO threshold for leaving the hunger map.

  12. Abinader takes office

    Political

    New president makes eliminating chronic hunger a stated priority of his administration.

  13. Undernourishment measured at 21.3 percent

    Data

    Baseline for the two-decade decline: more than a fifth of the population undernourished.

Scenarios

1

Dominican Republic stays off the FAO hunger map

Likely Resolves by Aug 1, 2027

Discussed by: Luis Abinader administration; FAO assessments

If farm financing, irrigation, and social programs hold, the next FAO report keeps Dominican undernourishment below 2.5 percent and the country off the hunger map. The government argues the gains are structural, backed by domestic production that now supplies more than 85 percent of food demand.

2

Drought or price shock pushes hunger back toward the threshold

Possible Resolves by Aug 1, 2028

Discussed by: UASD economist Daris Javier Cuevas; hoy.com.do analysis; government's 2026-2027 drought plan

The government itself flagged drought as the main weather risk and launched an anticipatory plan for the 2026-2027 season to protect irrigation, watersheds, and small producers. If a severe dry spell raises food prices and cuts harvests, undernourishment could tick back up toward the 2.5 percent line.

3

Diet quality and affordability become the next policy fight

Likely Resolves by Aug 1, 2027

Discussed by: President Abinader's post-exit remarks; hoy.com.do; FAO Americas

Abinader said leaving the hunger map does not end malnutrition or guarantee healthy, affordable diets. FAO and Dominican analysts point to the cost of a healthy food basket and the difficulty low-income households face in buying varied, nutritious food — issues the undernourishment rate does not capture.

4

Food waste and distribution become the next food-security test

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Banco de Alimentos de la República Dominicana via elDigital

Roughly 1.2 million kilograms of food are wasted each week while about 20,000 people receive food assistance monthly through some 200 partner institutions. The country has no national law on food loss and waste, and the food bank argues the gap between surplus food and hungry households is the problem to solve next.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2014

Brazil exits the FAO hunger map (2014)

Brazil left the FAO hunger map in 2014 after undernourishment fell below 5 percent, following the Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer program that paid poor families to keep children in school and vaccinated, alongside minimum-wage increases.

Then

Brazil was celebrated globally as proof that a large developing economy could end chronic hunger through social policy.

Now

By 2022, an economic crisis and the pandemic pushed tens of millions of Brazilians back into severe food insecurity, and the country returned to the hunger map.

Why this matters now

Brazil shows hunger-map exits can be reversed by economic shocks — a cautionary backdrop for the Dominican Republic's claim that its gains are structural.

2021-2022

Global hunger rises after COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine (2021-2022)

FAO's 2022 State of Food Security report estimated that roughly 735 million people worldwide were undernourished in 2022, up tens of millions from before the pandemic, as COVID-19, conflict, inflation, and supply-chain shocks combined.

Then

World hunger climbed for the first time in years, reversing a decade of gradual decline.

Now

The rise made progress stories rarer and pushed governments to confront climate- and conflict-driven food shocks.

Why this matters now

The Dominican Republic's exit landed during this global hunger surge, which makes its achievement stand out — and makes the drought risk at home more consequential.

Sources

(22)
+16
Human Progress FAO Presidencia de la República Dominicana Listín Diario El Nacional Hoy Ministerio de Agricultura de la República Dominicana RAES ANSA Apunte Digital Acento elDigital N Digital Central de Noticias LosMocanos.com Infobae Revista SUMMA Dominican Today Noticias SIN FAO Presidencia de la República Dominicana Presidencia de la República Dominicana