2.1.2 Prevalence of 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 severe food insecurity (female) (15 years old and over) (no breakdown by urbanisation) — Confidence interval: Lower bound is currently reported for 113 countries. The highest value is 61.2 % in South Sudan; the lowest is 0.5 % in Austria.
The median across all reporting countries is 4.3 %, and the mean is 9.28 %.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 122.
Over the past decade 61 countries rose and 47 fell. The largest increase was in Pakistan (up 590.0%), and the largest decrease in Algeria (down 83.6%).
2.1.2 Prevalence of severe food insecurity (female) (15 years old and): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 61.2 % | 2024 | down 4.5% | flat |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 42.1 % | 2024 | up 21.0% | rising |
| 2 | Malawi | 58.3 % | 2024 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 3 | Haiti | 41.8 % | 2024 | down 2.6% | flat |
| 3 | Melanesia | 23.3 % | 2025 | up 3.6% | flat |
| 4 | Liberia | 34 % | 2024 | down 7.4% | flat |
| 4 | United Republic of Tanzania | 20.7 % | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 28.7 % | 2024 | up 154.0% | rising |
| 6 | Sierra Leone | 27.7 % | 2024 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 7 | Namibia | 27 % | 2024 | down 6.6% | flat |
| 8 | Kenya | 26.2 % | 2024 | up 70.1% | rising |
| 8 | Republic of Moldova | 5.1 % | 2024 | up 466.7% | rising |
| 9 | Nigeria | 25.2 % | 2024 | up 173.9% | rising |
| 9 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 4.5 % | 2024 | down 49.4% | falling |
| 10 | Chad | 24.3 % | 2024 | down 21.6% | falling |
| 10 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 3.1 % | 2024 | down 59.7% | falling |
| 11 | Eswatini | 24.1 % | 2024 | — | rising |
| 11 | Viet Nam | 1.4 % | 2024 | up 133.3% | rising |
| 12 | Lesotho | 23.8 % | 2024 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 13 | Zimbabwe | 22.2 % | 2024 | down 32.9% | falling |
| 14 | Jamaica | 21.9 % | 2024 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 15 | Cameroon | 20.8 % | 2024 | up 32.5% | rising |
| 16 | Guatemala | 20 % | 2024 | up 34.2% | rising |
| 16 | Côte d'Ivoire | 7.1 % | 2024 | up 36.5% | rising |
| 17 | Botswana | 19.4 % | 2024 | up 12.8% | rising |
| 18 | Zambia | 16.9 % | 2024 | down 19.1% | falling |
| 19 | Dominican Republic | 16.7 % | 2024 | down 30.4% | falling |
| 19 | Cabo Verde | 5.1 % | 2024 | down 32.9% | falling |
| 20 | Angola | 16.4 % | 2024 | down 33.1% | falling |
| 21 | Madagascar | 15.8 % | 2024 | up 68.1% | rising |
| 22 | Honduras | 15.5 % | 2024 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 23 | Gambia | 15 % | 2024 | down 27.9% | falling |
| 24 | Ethiopia | 14.2 % | 2024 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 25 | Mauritania | 12.2 % | 2024 | up 197.6% | rising |
| 25 | Uganda | 12.2 % | 2024 | down 35.4% | falling |
| 27 | Egypt | 12 % | 2024 | up 46.3% | rising |
| 28 | Benin | 11.8 % | 2024 | up 24.2% | rising |
| 29 | El Salvador | 11.6 % | 2024 | down 14.1% | flat |
| 30 | Mauritius | 10.3 % | 2024 | up 114.6% | rising |
| 31 | Nepal | 10.1 % | 2024 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 32 | Argentina | 10 % | 2024 | up 96.1% | rising |
| 33 | Libya | 9.9 % | 2024 | down 12.4% | flat |
| 34 | Lebanon | 9.6 % | 2024 | up 464.7% | rising |
| 35 | Ecuador | 9 % | 2024 | up 143.2% | rising |
| 36 | Ghana | 8.2 % | 2024 | up 86.4% | rising |
| 37 | South Africa | 8 % | 2024 | up 12.7% | rising |
| 38 | Albania | 7.6 % | 2024 | down 17.4% | falling |
| 39 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.4 % | 2022 | up 4.2% | flat |
| 39 | Togo | 7.4 % | 2024 | down 43.1% | falling |
| 41 | Niger | 6.9 % | 2024 | down 21.6% | falling |
| 41 | Pakistan | 6.9 % | 2024 | up 590.0% | volatile |
| 43 | Burkina Faso | 6.4 % | 2024 | up 48.8% | rising |
| 44 | Tunisia | 6.2 % | 2024 | down 4.6% | rising |
| 45 | Myanmar | 5.9 % | 2024 | up 293.3% | rising |
| 46 | Paraguay | 5.4 % | 2024 | up 315.4% | rising |
| 47 | Colombia | 5.2 % | 2024 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 48 | Australia and New Zealand | 4.4 % | 2025 | up 109.5% | rising |
| 49 | Romania | 4.3 % | 2024 | down 21.8% | rising |
| 49 | Ukraine | 4.3 % | 2024 | up 207.1% | rising |
| 51 | Palestine, State of | 4.2 % | 2022 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 52 | Georgia | 4 % | 2024 | down 32.2% | falling |
| 53 | Peru | 3.9 % | 2024 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 53 | Tajikistan | 3.9 % | 2024 | up 11.4% | flat |
| 55 | Samoa | 3.8 % | 2024 | up 65.2% | rising |
| 56 | New Zealand | 3.6 % | 2024 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 57 | Hungary | 3.5 % | 2024 | up 337.5% | volatile |
| 58 | Australia | 3.4 % | 2024 | up 61.9% | rising |
| 58 | Kiribati | 3.4 % | 2024 | down 42.4% | falling |
| 60 | Malaysia | 3.3 % | 2024 | down 34.0% | falling |
| 61 | Chile | 3 % | 2024 | down 3.2% | flat |
| 62 | Mexico | 2.9 % | 2024 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 63 | Grenada | 2.8 % | 2024 | down 34.9% | falling |
| 64 | Philippines | 2.7 % | 2024 | up 12.5% | falling |
| 64 | Senegal | 2.7 % | 2024 | down 52.6% | falling |
| 64 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 2.7 % | 2024 | up 237.5% | volatile |
| 67 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 2.5 % | 2024 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 68 | France | 2.4 % | 2024 | up 166.7% | rising |
| 68 | Cambodia | 2.4 % | 2024 | down 45.5% | falling |
| 68 | Kuwait | 2.4 % | 2024 | up 9.1% | falling |
| 71 | Costa Rica | 2.3 % | 2024 | up 43.8% | rising |
| 72 | Uruguay | 2.2 % | 2024 | up 46.7% | rising |
| 73 | Singapore | 2.1 % | 2024 | up 200.0% | rising |
| 73 | Sweden | 2.1 % | 2024 | up 250.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Canada | 2 % | 2024 | up 300.0% | rising |
| 76 | Belgium | 1.9 % | 2024 | up 216.7% | rising |
| 76 | Algeria | 1.9 % | 2024 | down 83.6% | volatile |
| 78 | Ireland | 1.8 % | 2024 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 79 | Mali | 1.7 % | 2024 | down 39.3% | falling |
| 79 | Malta | 1.7 % | 2024 | up 41.7% | rising |
| 79 | Portugal | 1.7 % | 2024 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 82 | Belize | 1.5 % | 2024 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 83 | Iceland | 1.4 % | 2024 | up 75.0% | rising |
| 84 | Spain | 1.3 % | 2024 | up 116.7% | rising |
| 84 | Greece | 1.3 % | 2024 | down 23.5% | falling |
| 86 | Estonia | 1.2 % | 2024 | up 140.0% | rising |
| 87 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.1 % | 2024 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 87 | North Macedonia | 1.1 % | 2024 | down 56.0% | rising |
| 89 | Denmark | 1 % | 2024 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 89 | Sri Lanka | 1 % | 2024 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 91 | Bulgaria | 0.9 % | 2024 | down 18.2% | rising |
| 91 | Czechia | 0.9 % | 2024 | — | flat |
| 91 | Slovakia | 0.9 % | 2024 | up 28.6% | rising |
| 94 | Finland | 0.8 % | 2024 | down 46.7% | falling |
| 94 | Croatia | 0.8 % | 2022 | — | rising |
| 94 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.8 % | 2022 | unchanged | rising |
| 94 | Serbia | 0.8 % | 2023 | down 20.0% | rising |
| 98 | Brazil | 0.7 % | 2024 | down 22.2% | volatile |
| 98 | Lithuania | 0.7 % | 2023 | down 56.2% | falling |
| 98 | Montenegro | 0.7 % | 2024 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 98 | Norway | 0.7 % | 2024 | unchanged | rising |
| 98 | Thailand | 0.7 % | 2023 | up 40.0% | rising |
| 103 | Israel | 0.6 % | 2020 | down 14.3% | rising |
| 104 | Austria | 0.5 % | 2024 | down 44.4% | 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 22.2 %
- Middle Africa 33.8 %
- Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand 21.9 %
- Eastern Africa 21.3 %
- Africa 20.1 %
- Western Africa 19.5 %
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 19.4 %
- Caribbean 18.6 %
- Small island developing States (SIDS) 17.1 %
- Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 14.3 %
- Asia 7.2 %
- Southern Asia 14.2 %
- Central Asia and Southern Asia 13.8 %
- Western Asia 13.6 %
- Western Asia and Northern Africa 12.5 %
- Northern Africa 10.8 %
- Southern Africa 9.8 %
- Oceania 9.2 %
- World 8.2 %
- Central America 6.3 %
- Latin America and the Caribbean 5.8 %
- Americas 4.1 %
- South America 4 %
- Northern Europe 2.4 %
- Western Europe 2.3 %
- Europe 2.1 %
- Central Asia 2.1 %
- Northern America and Europe 1.9 %
- South-Eastern Asia 1.5 %
- Eastern Europe 1.4 %
- Northern America 1.3 %
- Southern Europe 1.3 %
- United States of America 1.2 %
- Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia 0.9 %
- Eastern Asia 0.6 %
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.