Gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in South Africa
South Africa: Gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was -1.3 % in 2024. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in South Africa, 2018–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in South Africa is -1.3 %, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 160.0% on the previous year and up 59.4% over ten years.
South Africa ranks 56th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | -3.2 % | — |
| 2019 | -3.4 % | +6.2% |
| 2020 | -3.4 % | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -2.1 % | -38.2% |
| 2022 | -1.7 % | -19.0% |
| 2023 | -0.5 % | -70.6% |
| 2024 | -1.3 % | +160.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's -1.3 % is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is -1.6 %, 81% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- South Africa's -1.3 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -1.2 %, 1.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | -3.3 % | -3.4 % | -3.2 % | 2 |
| 2020s | -1.8 % | -3.4 % | -0.5 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 54 Kyrgyzstan -1.2 % compare
- 54 Paraguay -1.2 % compare
- 56 Australia -1.3 % compare
- 56 Bangladesh -1.3 % compare
- 56 Poland -1.3 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in South Africa?
- Gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in South Africa was -1.3 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was -0.5 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.4 % in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity?
- South Africa ranks 56th out of 121 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Gender gap in the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity (15 years old and over) (no breakdown by urbanisation) — Value — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.