2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (female) (15 years old and over) (no breakdown by urbanisation) — Confidence interval: Lower bound by country
As the custodian agency of 22 SDG indicators, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is responsible for curating and refining the methodologies of these indicators, collecting data from national sources, ensuring their quality and compatibility with applicable standards and...
What the numbers show
2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (female) (15 years old and over) (no breakdown by urbanisation) — Confidence interval: Lower bound is currently reported for 129 countries. The highest value is 87.2 % in South Sudan; the lowest is 0.8 % in Kazakhstan.
The median across all reporting countries is 21.4 %, and the mean is 28.18 %.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 109.
Over the past decade 72 countries rose and 55 fell. The largest increase was in Lebanon (up 326.7%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 74.4%).
2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (female) (15): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 87.2 % | 2024 | up 3.9% | flat |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 79.9 % | 2024 | up 20.3% | rising |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | 85.9 % | 2024 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 3 | Haiti | 81.9 % | 2024 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 3 | United Republic of Tanzania | 54.2 % | 2024 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 4 | Malawi | 81.6 % | 2024 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 5 | Liberia | 78 % | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 5 | Melanesia | 52.1 % | 2025 | up 3.4% | flat |
| 6 | Angola | 77.7 % | 2024 | up 5.9% | flat |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 75.8 % | 2024 | up 82.7% | rising |
| 7 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 35.2 % | 2024 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 8 | Nigeria | 74.9 % | 2024 | up 137.8% | rising |
| 8 | Côte d'Ivoire | 36.1 % | 2024 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 8 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 33 % | 2024 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 9 | Yemen | 74.6 % | 2024 | up 65.0% | rising |
| 9 | Republic of Moldova | 27.1 % | 2024 | up 62.3% | rising |
| 10 | Kenya | 71.7 % | 2024 | up 36.1% | rising |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 67.9 % | 2024 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 11 | Viet Nam | 8.9 % | 2024 | up 48.3% | rising |
| 12 | Benin | 64.9 % | 2024 | up 21.3% | rising |
| 13 | Mauritania | 63.7 % | 2024 | up 154.8% | rising |
| 14 | Chad | 63.4 % | 2024 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 14 | Cabo Verde | 29.2 % | 2024 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 15 | Eswatini | 62 % | 2024 | — | rising |
| 16 | Lesotho | 60.6 % | 2024 | up 27.8% | rising |
| 17 | Guinea-Bissau | 60.3 % | 2022 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 18 | Madagascar | 59.2 % | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 19 | Cameroon | 57.6 % | 2024 | up 32.7% | rising |
| 20 | Ethiopia | 55 % | 2024 | up 1.5% | flat |
| 21 | Togo | 54.2 % | 2024 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 22 | Namibia | 53.5 % | 2024 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 23 | Botswana | 51.1 % | 2024 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 24 | Uganda | 50.4 % | 2024 | down 19.1% | falling |
| 25 | Guatemala | 49 % | 2024 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 26 | Niger | 47.8 % | 2024 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 27 | Jamaica | 47.5 % | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 28 | Zambia | 45.3 % | 2024 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 29 | Lebanon | 43.1 % | 2024 | up 326.7% | rising |
| 30 | El Salvador | 42.7 % | 2024 | down 0.9% | rising |
| 31 | Ghana | 41.8 % | 2024 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 32 | Dominican Republic | 41.7 % | 2024 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 32 | Honduras | 41.7 % | 2024 | down 7.5% | flat |
| 34 | Gambia | 40.7 % | 2024 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 35 | Kiribati | 40.4 % | 2024 | up 9.8% | rising |
| 36 | Burkina Faso | 39.6 % | 2024 | up 12.8% | rising |
| 37 | Peru | 38 % | 2024 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 38 | Cambodia | 36.1 % | 2024 | down 10.4% | flat |
| 39 | Ukraine | 33.7 % | 2024 | up 76.4% | rising |
| 40 | Albania | 33.2 % | 2024 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 41 | Nepal | 32 % | 2024 | up 16.8% | rising |
| 41 | Philippines | 32 % | 2024 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 43 | Argentina | 31.5 % | 2024 | up 60.7% | rising |
| 44 | Ecuador | 30.6 % | 2024 | up 67.2% | rising |
| 45 | Colombia | 29.5 % | 2024 | up 43.9% | rising |
| 46 | Egypt | 29 % | 2024 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 47 | Myanmar | 28.3 % | 2024 | up 36.1% | rising |
| 48 | Senegal | 26.8 % | 2024 | down 16.5% | falling |
| 49 | Mauritius | 26.5 % | 2024 | up 119.0% | rising |
| 50 | Palestine, State of | 26.4 % | 2022 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 51 | Pakistan | 26.2 % | 2024 | up 63.8% | rising |
| 52 | Bangladesh | 25.1 % | 2024 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 53 | Libya | 24.7 % | 2024 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 54 | Paraguay | 23.5 % | 2024 | up 319.6% | rising |
| 55 | Georgia | 22.2 % | 2024 | down 25.3% | falling |
| 55 | Tunisia | 22.2 % | 2024 | up 57.4% | rising |
| 57 | Tajikistan | 21.4 % | 2024 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 58 | South Africa | 20.4 % | 2024 | up 14.0% | rising |
| 59 | Mali | 19 % | 2024 | down 22.4% | falling |
| 60 | Mexico | 18.6 % | 2024 | down 27.3% | falling |
| 61 | Samoa | 16.7 % | 2024 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 62 | New Zealand | 16.2 % | 2024 | up 60.4% | rising |
| 62 | Uruguay | 16.2 % | 2024 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 64 | Chile | 15.7 % | 2024 | up 33.1% | rising |
| 65 | Costa Rica | 15.1 % | 2024 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 66 | Hungary | 15 % | 2024 | up 38.9% | rising |
| 67 | Australia and New Zealand | 14.4 % | 2025 | up 54.8% | rising |
| 68 | Grenada | 14 % | 2024 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 68 | Romania | 14 % | 2024 | down 27.5% | flat |
| 70 | Australia | 13.9 % | 2024 | up 36.3% | rising |
| 71 | Algeria | 13.3 % | 2024 | down 34.8% | falling |
| 72 | Azerbaijan | 13 % | 2024 | up 176.6% | rising |
| 73 | Malaysia | 11.9 % | 2024 | down 7.8% | flat |
| 74 | Latvia | 11.6 % | 2024 | up 18.4% | rising |
| 75 | Estonia | 11.3 % | 2024 | up 29.9% | rising |
| 76 | Brazil | 11.1 % | 2024 | down 26.0% | flat |
| 77 | Canada | 10.9 % | 2024 | up 127.1% | rising |
| 78 | Portugal | 10.7 % | 2024 | down 28.7% | falling |
| 79 | Belize | 10.2 % | 2024 | down 61.1% | falling |
| 80 | Sri Lanka | 9.8 % | 2024 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 81 | Bulgaria | 9.2 % | 2024 | down 32.4% | falling |
| 82 | Belgium | 8.5 % | 2024 | up 286.4% | rising |
| 83 | Czechia | 8.3 % | 2024 | up 72.9% | rising |
| 83 | Malta | 8.3 % | 2024 | up 48.2% | rising |
| 83 | Singapore | 8.3 % | 2024 | up 277.3% | rising |
| 86 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8.2 % | 2024 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 87 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 8.1 % | 2024 | up 76.1% | rising |
| 88 | Montenegro | 8 % | 2024 | down 23.1% | falling |
| 89 | North Macedonia | 7.9 % | 2024 | down 44.8% | rising |
| 90 | France | 7.5 % | 2024 | up 31.6% | rising |
| 91 | Israel | 7.4 % | 2024 | down 26.7% | falling |
| 92 | Armenia | 7.2 % | 2024 | down 60.9% | falling |
| 92 | Spain | 7.2 % | 2024 | up 16.1% | flat |
| 94 | Kuwait | 7 % | 2024 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 94 | Slovenia | 7 % | 2024 | down 44.0% | falling |
| 96 | Sweden | 6.7 % | 2024 | up 91.4% | rising |
| 97 | Greece | 6.4 % | 2024 | down 51.1% | falling |
| 97 | Slovakia | 6.4 % | 2024 | up 30.6% | rising |
| 99 | Iceland | 6.3 % | 2024 | up 14.5% | flat |
| 99 | Kyrgyzstan | 6.3 % | 2024 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 99 | Lithuania | 6.3 % | 2024 | down 53.0% | falling |
| 102 | Finland | 5.5 % | 2024 | down 33.7% | falling |
| 102 | Serbia | 5.5 % | 2024 | down 42.7% | falling |
| 104 | Norway | 5.4 % | 2024 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 104 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 5.4 % | 2024 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 106 | Denmark | 4.9 % | 2024 | down 5.8% | rising |
| 107 | Ireland | 4.4 % | 2024 | down 38.0% | falling |
| 108 | Mongolia | 4.2 % | 2024 | down 31.1% | falling |
| 109 | Indonesia | 4 % | 2024 | down 31.0% | falling |
| 109 | Thailand | 4 % | 2024 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 111 | Croatia | 3.9 % | 2024 | down 18.8% | falling |
| 112 | Japan | 3.2 % | 2024 | up 166.7% | rising |
| 113 | Republic of Korea | 3 % | 2024 | down 11.8% | flat |
| 114 | Germany | 2.7 % | 2024 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 115 | Austria | 2.4 % | 2024 | down 57.1% | falling |
| 116 | Poland | 2.2 % | 2024 | down 74.4% | falling |
| 117 | Russian Federation | 2 % | 2024 | down 72.6% | falling |
| 118 | Luxembourg | 1.7 % | 2024 | down 59.5% | falling |
| 119 | Switzerland | 1.5 % | 2024 | down 54.5% | falling |
| 120 | Kazakhstan | 0.8 % | 2024 | up 14.3% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Sub-Saharan Africa 61 %
- Eastern Africa 61 %
- Western Africa 61 %
- Middle Africa 74.5 %
- Africa 55.2 %
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 53.8 %
- Caribbean 51.4 %
- Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand 49.6 %
- Small island developing States (SIDS) 46.9 %
- Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 46.5 %
- Western Asia 33.7 %
- Western Asia and Northern Africa 32.9 %
- Asia 18.7 %
- Northern Africa 30.9 %
- Southern Asia 30.7 %
- Central Asia and Southern Asia 30.1 %
- Latin America and the Caribbean 24.1 %
- Oceania 24 %
- Central America 23.9 %
- Southern Africa 23.8 %
- World 23.1 %
- South America 21.1 %
- Americas 19.7 %
- Central Asia 14 %
- United States of America 12.6 %
- South-Eastern Asia 12.5 %
- Northern America 12.4 %
- Northern America and Europe 9.2 %
- Eastern Europe 8.9 %
- Europe 7.9 %
- Western Europe 7.1 %
- Northern Europe 7 %
- Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia 7 %
- Southern Europe 6.6 %
- Eastern Asia 4.7 %
About this data
As the custodian agency of 22 SDG indicators, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is responsible for curating and refining the methodologies of these indicators, collecting data from national sources, ensuring their quality and compatibility with applicable standards and classifications, and disseminating data at global level. This FAOSTAT domain complements the global SDG database administered by the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD), as well as FAO’s SDG indicators portal, by providing access to the available data for all SDG Indicators under FAO custodianship. While this metadata page provides summary information on all SDG indicators data disseminated through FAOSTAT, indicator-specific metadata can be accessed from the link on the right hand navigation column. This additional metadata file provides details on the methodology used to compile each indicators, their data sources and the contact information of the relevant FAO focal point. It includes the links to the official SDG Indicator metadata documents accessible from the UNSD global SDG database.SDG Indicators under FAO custodianship, consisting of 22 indicators and 66 series that fall under six goals: • Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.• Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production.• Goal 14: Life below water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.• Goal 15: Life on land: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.