2.1.2 Prevalence of severe food insecurity (both sexes or no breakdown by sex) (all age ranges or no breakdown by age) (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 severe food insecurity (both sexes or no breakdown by sex) (all age ranges or no breakdown by age) (no breakdown by urbanisation) — Confidence interval: Upper bound is currently reported for 124 countries. The highest value is 64.6 % in South Sudan; the lowest is 0.5 % in Indonesia.
The median across all reporting countries is 6 %, and the mean is 10.98 %.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 129.
Over the past decade 71 countries rose and 51 fell. The largest increase was in Pakistan (up 480.0%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 76.0%).
2.1.2 Prevalence of severe food insecurity (both sexes or no): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 64.6 % | 2024 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 46 % | 2024 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 1 | Caribbean | 28.7 % | 2025 | down 18.0% | falling |
| 2 | Malawi | 59.5 % | 2024 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 3 | Haiti | 48.7 % | 2024 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 3 | Melanesia | 26.2 % | 2025 | up 3.1% | flat |
| 4 | Liberia | 38.1 % | 2024 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 4 | United Republic of Tanzania | 24.7 % | 2024 | up 10.8% | flat |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 36.3 % | 2024 | up 96.2% | rising |
| 6 | Sierra Leone | 36 % | 2024 | up 33.8% | rising |
| 7 | Jamaica | 30.9 % | 2024 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 8 | Namibia | 30.1 % | 2024 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 8 | Republic of Moldova | 7.9 % | 2024 | up 243.5% | rising |
| 9 | Zimbabwe | 29.1 % | 2024 | down 24.8% | falling |
| 9 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 6.9 % | 2024 | down 37.3% | falling |
| 10 | Eswatini | 28.1 % | 2024 | — | rising |
| 10 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 6 % | 2024 | down 45.0% | falling |
| 11 | Nigeria | 27.8 % | 2024 | up 135.6% | rising |
| 11 | Viet Nam | 2.4 % | 2024 | up 300.0% | volatile |
| 12 | Kenya | 27.5 % | 2024 | up 71.9% | rising |
| 13 | Cameroon | 27.3 % | 2024 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 14 | Chad | 26.4 % | 2024 | down 23.0% | falling |
| 15 | Lesotho | 25.8 % | 2024 | down 9.8% | falling |
| 16 | Guatemala | 25.5 % | 2024 | up 40.9% | rising |
| 16 | Côte d'Ivoire | 8.7 % | 2024 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 17 | Botswana | 23 % | 2024 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 17 | Cabo Verde | 7.7 % | 2024 | down 33.0% | falling |
| 18 | Gambia | 20.1 % | 2024 | down 23.0% | falling |
| 19 | Ethiopia | 19.8 % | 2024 | up 19.3% | rising |
| 20 | Zambia | 18.7 % | 2024 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 21 | Madagascar | 18 % | 2024 | up 65.1% | rising |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 17.9 % | 2024 | down 31.7% | falling |
| 22 | Libya | 17.9 % | 2024 | up 38.8% | rising |
| 24 | Angola | 16.6 % | 2024 | down 39.6% | falling |
| 25 | Honduras | 14.8 % | 2024 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 26 | El Salvador | 14.7 % | 2024 | down 4.5% | rising |
| 27 | Benin | 14.5 % | 2024 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 28 | Mauritius | 14.4 % | 2024 | up 128.6% | rising |
| 29 | Nepal | 14.2 % | 2024 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 30 | Ecuador | 13.9 % | 2024 | up 61.6% | rising |
| 31 | Uganda | 13.6 % | 2024 | down 41.6% | falling |
| 32 | Mauritania | 13.3 % | 2024 | up 146.3% | rising |
| 33 | Egypt | 13.1 % | 2024 | up 31.0% | rising |
| 34 | Argentina | 13 % | 2024 | up 80.6% | rising |
| 35 | Lebanon | 11.8 % | 2024 | up 126.9% | rising |
| 36 | Togo | 11 % | 2024 | down 37.5% | falling |
| 37 | Guinea-Bissau | 10.5 % | 2022 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 38 | Albania | 10.2 % | 2024 | down 12.1% | falling |
| 39 | Tunisia | 9.8 % | 2024 | down 19.7% | flat |
| 40 | Myanmar | 9.6 % | 2024 | up 269.2% | rising |
| 41 | Ghana | 9.4 % | 2024 | up 62.1% | rising |
| 42 | South Africa | 9.1 % | 2024 | up 19.7% | rising |
| 43 | Burkina Faso | 8.6 % | 2024 | up 24.6% | rising |
| 44 | Paraguay | 8.5 % | 2024 | up 226.9% | rising |
| 45 | Algeria | 7.8 % | 2024 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 45 | Niger | 7.8 % | 2024 | down 31.6% | falling |
| 47 | Ukraine | 6.8 % | 2024 | up 134.5% | rising |
| 48 | Romania | 6.7 % | 2024 | down 2.9% | rising |
| 49 | Hungary | 6.6 % | 2024 | up 247.4% | volatile |
| 50 | Georgia | 6.5 % | 2024 | down 23.5% | falling |
| 51 | Malaysia | 6.4 % | 2024 | down 30.4% | falling |
| 51 | Tajikistan | 6.4 % | 2024 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 53 | Kiribati | 6.2 % | 2024 | down 38.6% | falling |
| 54 | Grenada | 6 % | 2024 | down 51.2% | falling |
| 55 | New Zealand | 5.9 % | 2024 | up 55.3% | rising |
| 56 | Pakistan | 5.8 % | 2024 | up 480.0% | volatile |
| 56 | Australia and New Zealand | 5.8 % | 2025 | up 70.6% | rising |
| 58 | Colombia | 5.6 % | 2024 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 59 | Palestine, State of | 5.4 % | 2022 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 60 | Samoa | 5.3 % | 2024 | up 17.8% | rising |
| 60 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 5.3 % | 2024 | up 112.0% | rising |
| 62 | Australia | 5.2 % | 2024 | up 40.5% | rising |
| 63 | Singapore | 4.9 % | 2024 | up 226.7% | volatile |
| 64 | Finland | 4.8 % | 2024 | up 45.5% | rising |
| 65 | Senegal | 4.6 % | 2024 | down 47.1% | falling |
| 66 | Kuwait | 4.5 % | 2024 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 66 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 4.5 % | 2024 | up 114.3% | rising |
| 68 | Belgium | 4.4 % | 2024 | up 175.0% | rising |
| 69 | Sweden | 4.3 % | 2024 | up 258.3% | rising |
| 70 | France | 4 % | 2024 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 70 | Peru | 4 % | 2024 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 72 | Ireland | 3.9 % | 2024 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 73 | Belize | 3.8 % | 2024 | down 34.5% | falling |
| 73 | Cambodia | 3.8 % | 2024 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 75 | Philippines | 3.5 % | 2024 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 76 | Chile | 3.4 % | 2024 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 76 | Portugal | 3.4 % | 2024 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 78 | Mali | 3.1 % | 2024 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 79 | Spain | 2.9 % | 2024 | up 70.6% | rising |
| 79 | Mexico | 2.9 % | 2024 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 79 | Uruguay | 2.9 % | 2024 | up 38.1% | rising |
| 82 | Latvia | 2.8 % | 2024 | up 250.0% | volatile |
| 83 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.7 % | 2024 | up 28.6% | rising |
| 83 | Denmark | 2.7 % | 2024 | up 92.9% | rising |
| 83 | Estonia | 2.7 % | 2024 | up 125.0% | rising |
| 83 | Malta | 2.7 % | 2024 | up 35.0% | rising |
| 87 | Costa Rica | 2.6 % | 2024 | up 36.8% | rising |
| 87 | Czechia | 2.6 % | 2024 | up 160.0% | volatile |
| 87 | Iceland | 2.6 % | 2024 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 90 | Austria | 2.5 % | 2024 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 90 | Bulgaria | 2.5 % | 2024 | down 3.8% | rising |
| 92 | North Macedonia | 2.3 % | 2024 | down 51.1% | flat |
| 92 | Montenegro | 2.3 % | 2024 | down 20.7% | flat |
| 92 | Norway | 2.3 % | 2024 | up 35.3% | rising |
| 95 | Greece | 2.1 % | 2024 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 96 | Switzerland | 2 % | 2024 | down 13.0% | falling |
| 96 | Republic of Korea | 2 % | 2024 | up 300.0% | rising |
| 98 | Canada | 1.9 % | 2024 | up 137.5% | rising |
| 98 | Germany | 1.9 % | 2024 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 98 | Japan | 1.9 % | 2024 | up 171.4% | rising |
| 98 | Lithuania | 1.9 % | 2024 | down 44.1% | falling |
| 98 | Slovakia | 1.9 % | 2024 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 103 | Croatia | 1.3 % | 2024 | up 44.4% | rising |
| 103 | Serbia | 1.3 % | 2024 | down 45.8% | flat |
| 105 | Israel | 1.2 % | 2024 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 105 | Sri Lanka | 1.2 % | 2024 | up 71.4% | rising |
| 107 | Slovenia | 1.1 % | 2024 | down 15.4% | rising |
| 108 | Kyrgyzstan | 1 % | 2024 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 108 | Luxembourg | 1 % | 2024 | down 58.3% | falling |
| 110 | Thailand | 0.8 % | 2024 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 111 | Brazil | 0.6 % | 2024 | down 25.0% | volatile |
| 111 | Kazakhstan | 0.6 % | 2024 | down 14.3% | flat |
| 111 | Poland | 0.6 % | 2024 | down 76.0% | falling |
| 114 | Indonesia | 0.5 % | 2019 | — | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Middle Africa 36.2 %
- Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand 24.7 %
- Sub-Saharan Africa 23.2 %
- Eastern Africa 22.8 %
- Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 23.7 %
- Africa 21 %
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 20.9 %
- Western Africa 20.5 %
- Southern Asia 16.6 %
- Asia 8.8 %
- Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 16 %
- Central Asia and Southern Asia 16 %
- Western Asia 15.5 %
- Western Asia and Northern Africa 13.6 %
- Northern Africa 11.8 %
- Oceania 11.4 %
- Southern Africa 10.8 %
- World 9.8 %
- Central America 6.8 %
- Latin America and the Caribbean 6.5 %
- Americas 4.6 %
- South America 4.5 %
- Northern Europe 4.4 %
- Central Asia 3.6 %
- Western Europe 3.1 %
- Europe 2.3 %
- Southern Europe 1.9 %
- Northern America and Europe 1.9 %
- Eastern Europe 1.8 %
- South-eastern Asia 1.8 %
- Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia 1.4 %
- Eastern Asia 1.3 %
- Northern America 1.2 %
- United States of America 1.2 %
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.