Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa

Africa: Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults was 260.9 million No in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
260.9 million No
Change on year
up 2.6%
Rank
4th
of 36 groups
All-time high
260.9 million No
in 2023
All-time low
165 million No
in 2014
Years of data
10
2014–2023

Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa, 2014–2023

01002003002014201820232014: 165 million No2015: 176.2 million No2016: 187.5 million No2017: 195.1 million No2018: 205.1 million No2019: 219.9 million No2020: 233.9 million No2021: 244.9 million No2022: 254.4 million No2023: 260.9 million No

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in million No.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa is 260.9 million No, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 58.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa peaked at 260.9 million No in 2023 and was at its lowest, 165 million No, in 2014.

Africa ranks 4th of 36 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults (million) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound in Africa, 2014 to 2023.
Year million No Change
2014 165 million No
2015 176.2 million No +6.8%
2016 187.5 million No +6.4%
2017 195.1 million No +4.1%
2018 205.1 million No +5.1%
2019 219.9 million No +7.2%
2020 233.9 million No +6.4%
2021 244.9 million No +4.7%
2022 254.4 million No +3.9%
2023 260.9 million No +2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 191.47 million No 165 million No 219.9 million No 6
2020s 248.53 million No 233.9 million No 260.9 million No 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 Nigeria 50.9 million No compare
  2. 2 Ethiopia 22.3 million No compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 20.6 million No compare
  4. 4 Bangladesh 16.2 million No compare
  5. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 24 million No compare
  6. 5 Philippines 13.5 million No compare
  7. 6 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 12.3 million No compare
  8. 6 Kenya 12.9 million No compare
  9. 7 Egypt 11.4 million No compare
  10. 7 United Republic of Tanzania 10.9 million No compare

See the full ranking of 150 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa?
Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa was 260.9 million No in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 260.9 million No in 2023.
What is the lowest number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 165 million No in 2014.
How does Africa rank for number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults?
Africa ranks 4th out of 36 groups with data for 2023.
Is number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 58.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults (million) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-moderately-or-severely-food-insecure-female-adults-million-3-year-average/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of moderately or severely food insecure female adults (million) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound
Unit
million No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
150 places, 1,390 data points, 2014–2023
Last refreshed

The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.