Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Africa
Africa: Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) was 859.6 million No in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Africa, 2014–2023
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 people (million) in Africa is 859.6 million No, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 54.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Africa peaked at 859.6 million No in 2023 and was at its lowest, 555.8 million No, in 2014.
Africa ranks 3rd of 37 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Africa, year by year
| Year | million No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 555.8 million No | — |
| 2015 | 595.8 million No | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 633.9 million No | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 657.9 million No | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 689.4 million No | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 736.9 million No | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 782.6 million No | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 816.4 million No | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 842.6 million No | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 859.6 million No | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 644.95 million No | 555.8 million No | 736.9 million No | 6 |
| 2020s | 825.3 million No | 782.6 million No | 859.6 million No | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 1 Nigeria 173.3 million No compare
- 2 Ethiopia 72.6 million No compare
- 3 Pakistan 55.9 million No compare
- 4 Bangladesh 42.3 million No compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 87.3 million No compare
- 5 Kenya 39.6 million No compare
- 5 United Republic of Tanzania 37.6 million No compare
- 6 Philippines 36.4 million No compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Yield, annual growth rate -0.422 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Production, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Yield, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 0.2698 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goats — Stocks, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth 0.5254 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Production, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Production, annual growth rate 1.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Production, annual growth rate -1.55 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Africa?
- Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Africa was 859.6 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 people (million) recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 859.6 million No in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 555.8 million No in 2014.
- How does Africa rank for number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million)?
- Africa ranks 3rd out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
- Is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.7%. 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 people (million) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
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.