sparse

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable.

meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.

scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.

scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.

skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.

spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.

sparse implies a thin scattering of units.