2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (female) (15 years old and over) (no breakdown by urbanisation) — Confidence interval: Upper 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: Upper bound is currently reported for 130 countries. The highest value is 91.2 % in Sierra Leone; the lowest is 1.9 % in Kazakhstan.
The median across all reporting countries is 25.1 %, and the mean is 32.24 %.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 48.
Over the past decade 73 countries rose and 55 fell. The largest increase was in Belgium (up 246.2%), and the largest decrease in Russian Federation (down 68.9%).
2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (female) (15): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Leone | 91.2 % | 2024 | up 17.8% | rising |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 83.5 % | 2024 | up 17.4% | rising |
| 2 | South Sudan | 90.4 % | 2024 | up 4.8% | flat |
| 3 | Haiti | 89.1 % | 2024 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 3 | United Republic of Tanzania | 58.4 % | 2024 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 88.2 % | 2024 | up 63.9% | rising |
| 4 | Melanesia | 55.7 % | 2025 | up 3.5% | flat |
| 5 | Malawi | 83.8 % | 2024 | up 4.6% | flat |
| 6 | Liberia | 81.9 % | 2024 | down 2.6% | flat |
| 7 | Nigeria | 78.9 % | 2024 | up 115.0% | rising |
| 7 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 39.4 % | 2024 | down 21.7% | falling |
| 8 | Angola | 78.8 % | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 8 | Côte d'Ivoire | 39.5 % | 2024 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 8 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 37.9 % | 2024 | up 2.2% | flat |
| 9 | Yemen | 76.5 % | 2024 | up 46.3% | rising |
| 9 | Republic of Moldova | 35.5 % | 2024 | up 62.1% | rising |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 75.8 % | 2024 | up 10.3% | rising |
| 11 | Kenya | 74.6 % | 2024 | up 34.7% | rising |
| 11 | Cabo Verde | 35 % | 2024 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 11 | Viet Nam | 12.7 % | 2024 | up 64.9% | rising |
| 12 | Eswatini | 69 % | 2024 | — | rising |
| 13 | Benin | 68.8 % | 2024 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 14 | Chad | 68 % | 2024 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 15 | Mauritania | 67.6 % | 2024 | up 125.3% | rising |
| 16 | Ethiopia | 64.9 % | 2024 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 17 | Guinea-Bissau | 64.8 % | 2022 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 18 | Cameroon | 64.7 % | 2024 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 19 | Lesotho | 63.5 % | 2024 | up 24.0% | rising |
| 20 | Madagascar | 62.2 % | 2024 | down 1.0% | flat |
| 21 | Togo | 59.5 % | 2024 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 22 | Namibia | 58.2 % | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 23 | Jamaica | 57.7 % | 2024 | up 2.5% | flat |
| 24 | Botswana | 57.5 % | 2024 | up 7.5% | flat |
| 25 | Guatemala | 55.4 % | 2024 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 26 | Uganda | 53.2 % | 2024 | down 20.1% | falling |
| 27 | Niger | 51.3 % | 2024 | down 2.5% | flat |
| 28 | Lebanon | 50.1 % | 2024 | up 240.8% | rising |
| 29 | Dominican Republic | 49 % | 2024 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 30 | El Salvador | 48.8 % | 2024 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 31 | Zambia | 48.7 % | 2024 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 32 | Gambia | 48 % | 2024 | down 14.6% | flat |
| 33 | Kiribati | 47.4 % | 2024 | up 4.9% | flat |
| 34 | Burkina Faso | 44.7 % | 2024 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 35 | Ghana | 44.3 % | 2024 | up 5.2% | flat |
| 36 | Honduras | 43 % | 2024 | down 5.5% | flat |
| 37 | Cambodia | 42.7 % | 2024 | down 8.2% | flat |
| 38 | Albania | 39.5 % | 2024 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 38 | Peru | 39.5 % | 2024 | up 20.1% | rising |
| 40 | Ukraine | 39.4 % | 2024 | up 52.7% | rising |
| 41 | Argentina | 37.6 % | 2024 | up 46.9% | rising |
| 42 | Nepal | 37.2 % | 2024 | up 14.1% | rising |
| 43 | Ecuador | 36.8 % | 2024 | up 47.8% | rising |
| 44 | Myanmar | 36.5 % | 2024 | up 45.4% | rising |
| 45 | Egypt | 34.7 % | 2024 | down 2.0% | falling |
| 46 | Philippines | 34.3 % | 2024 | down 16.1% | falling |
| 47 | Mauritius | 32.9 % | 2024 | up 103.1% | rising |
| 48 | Palestine, State of | 32.5 % | 2022 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 49 | Libya | 31.4 % | 2024 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 50 | Senegal | 31.3 % | 2024 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 51 | Colombia | 31.2 % | 2024 | up 43.1% | rising |
| 52 | Paraguay | 29.2 % | 2024 | up 153.9% | rising |
| 53 | Tajikistan | 28.9 % | 2024 | up 18.4% | rising |
| 54 | Bangladesh | 28.5 % | 2024 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 55 | Tunisia | 28.2 % | 2024 | up 28.8% | rising |
| 56 | Pakistan | 27.4 % | 2024 | up 65.1% | rising |
| 57 | Georgia | 27 % | 2024 | down 26.6% | falling |
| 58 | Hungary | 23.2 % | 2024 | up 51.6% | rising |
| 59 | Finland | 22.7 % | 2024 | up 89.2% | rising |
| 60 | Mali | 22.6 % | 2024 | down 20.4% | falling |
| 61 | South Africa | 22.5 % | 2024 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 62 | Algeria | 20.9 % | 2024 | down 25.1% | falling |
| 63 | Mexico | 19.9 % | 2024 | down 24.9% | falling |
| 64 | Samoa | 19.8 % | 2024 | down 24.1% | falling |
| 65 | Grenada | 18.9 % | 2024 | down 38.0% | falling |
| 65 | Uruguay | 18.9 % | 2024 | up 18.1% | rising |
| 67 | New Zealand | 18.7 % | 2024 | up 29.0% | rising |
| 67 | Romania | 18.7 % | 2024 | down 24.0% | flat |
| 69 | Australia | 17.6 % | 2024 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 70 | Portugal | 17 % | 2024 | down 11.5% | flat |
| 71 | Azerbaijan | 16.9 % | 2024 | up 116.7% | rising |
| 71 | Australia and New Zealand | 16.9 % | 2025 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 73 | Costa Rica | 16.6 % | 2024 | up 22.1% | rising |
| 74 | Malaysia | 16.4 % | 2024 | down 4.1% | flat |
| 75 | Chile | 16.2 % | 2024 | up 23.7% | rising |
| 76 | Latvia | 16 % | 2024 | up 20.3% | rising |
| 77 | Estonia | 15.6 % | 2024 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 78 | Belize | 15.4 % | 2024 | down 54.4% | falling |
| 79 | Bulgaria | 13.7 % | 2024 | down 25.9% | flat |
| 80 | Belgium | 13.5 % | 2024 | up 246.2% | rising |
| 81 | Montenegro | 13 % | 2024 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 82 | Iceland | 12.7 % | 2024 | up 33.7% | rising |
| 82 | Singapore | 12.7 % | 2024 | up 225.6% | rising |
| 84 | North Macedonia | 12.4 % | 2024 | down 39.5% | flat |
| 85 | Czechia | 12.3 % | 2024 | up 53.8% | rising |
| 86 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 12.1 % | 2024 | up 70.4% | rising |
| 87 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11.5 % | 2024 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 87 | Brazil | 11.5 % | 2024 | down 26.3% | flat |
| 87 | Norway | 11.5 % | 2024 | up 85.5% | rising |
| 90 | Canada | 11.4 % | 2024 | up 96.6% | rising |
| 91 | Spain | 11.1 % | 2024 | up 24.7% | flat |
| 91 | Malta | 11.1 % | 2024 | up 35.4% | rising |
| 93 | Israel | 11 % | 2024 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 93 | Slovenia | 11 % | 2024 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 95 | Sri Lanka | 10.5 % | 2024 | up 87.5% | rising |
| 96 | Slovakia | 10.3 % | 2024 | up 32.1% | rising |
| 97 | Kuwait | 10.2 % | 2024 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 98 | Lithuania | 9.8 % | 2024 | down 47.9% | falling |
| 98 | Sweden | 9.8 % | 2024 | up 63.3% | rising |
| 100 | France | 9.6 % | 2024 | up 12.9% | rising |
| 100 | Kyrgyzstan | 9.6 % | 2024 | up 57.4% | rising |
| 102 | Armenia | 9.4 % | 2024 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 103 | Serbia | 8.9 % | 2024 | down 36.0% | falling |
| 104 | Greece | 8.5 % | 2024 | down 53.3% | falling |
| 105 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 8.3 % | 2024 | down 25.2% | falling |
| 106 | Croatia | 8.1 % | 2024 | down 4.7% | flat |
| 107 | Denmark | 7.7 % | 2024 | down 2.5% | flat |
| 108 | Ireland | 7.2 % | 2024 | down 28.0% | falling |
| 109 | Austria | 5.9 % | 2024 | down 22.4% | falling |
| 109 | Republic of Korea | 5.9 % | 2024 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 111 | Mongolia | 5.8 % | 2024 | down 26.6% | falling |
| 112 | Japan | 5.6 % | 2024 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 112 | Thailand | 5.6 % | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 114 | Germany | 5.2 % | 2024 | down 10.3% | flat |
| 115 | Poland | 4.5 % | 2024 | down 62.5% | falling |
| 116 | Indonesia | 4.4 % | 2024 | down 29.0% | falling |
| 117 | Luxembourg | 3.4 % | 2024 | down 46.0% | falling |
| 118 | Russian Federation | 3.2 % | 2024 | down 68.9% | falling |
| 119 | Switzerland | 2.7 % | 2024 | down 62.5% | falling |
| 120 | Belarus | 1.9 % | 2024 | down 5.0% | rising |
| 120 | Kazakhstan | 1.9 % | 2024 | down 57.8% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Eastern Africa 63.9 %
- Middle Africa 76.8 %
- Western Africa 63.1 %
- Sub-Saharan Africa 62.4 %
- Africa 56.5 %
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 55.4 %
- Caribbean 54.8 %
- Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand 52.9 %
- Small island developing States (SIDS) 49.3 %
- Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 48.9 %
- Western Asia 37 %
- Western Asia and Northern Africa 35.1 %
- Asia 20.3 %
- Southern Asia 34.5 %
- Northern Africa 33.9 %
- Central Asia and Southern Asia 33.7 %
- Oceania 26 %
- Southern Africa 25.6 %
- Central America 25 %
- Latin America and the Caribbean 24.7 %
- World 24.1 %
- South America 21.9 %
- Americas 20.2 %
- Central Asia 16.3 %
- South-Eastern Asia 13.5 %
- United States of America 12.9 %
- Northern America 12.7 %
- Eastern Europe 10 %
- Northern America and Europe 9.7 %
- Europe 8.6 %
- Western Europe 8.5 %
- Northern Europe 8.5 %
- Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia 8.3 %
- Southern Europe 8.2 %
- Eastern Asia 6.5 %
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.