Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa

Middle Africa: Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) was 159.9 million No in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
159.9 million No
Change on year
up 2.9%
Rank
3rd
of 11 groups
All-time high
159.9 million No
in 2023
All-time low
124.1 million No
in 2018
Years of data
6
2018–2023

Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa, 2018–2023

0501001502018202020232018: 124.1 million No2019: 132.4 million No2020: 141 million No2021: 149.8 million No2022: 155.4 million No2023: 159.9 million No

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

Analysis

In 2023, number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa stood at 159.9 million No. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 28.8% over ten years.

Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa, year by year

Annual values for Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound in Middle Africa, 2018 to 2023.
Year million No Change
2018 124.1 million No
2019 132.4 million No +6.7%
2020 141 million No +6.5%
2021 149.8 million No +6.2%
2022 155.4 million No +3.7%
2023 159.9 million No +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 128.25 million No 124.1 million No 132.4 million No 2
2020s 151.53 million No 141 million No 159.9 million No 4

Countries ranked near Middle Africa

  1. 1 Nigeria 173.3 million No compare
  2. 2 Ethiopia 72.6 million No compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 55.9 million No compare
  4. 4 Bangladesh 42.3 million No compare
  5. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 87.3 million No compare
  6. 5 Kenya 39.6 million No compare
  7. 5 United Republic of Tanzania 37.6 million No compare
  8. 6 Philippines 36.4 million No compare

See the full ranking of 159 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Middle Africa

All data for Middle Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa?
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa was 159.9 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 people (million) recorded in Middle Africa?
The highest recorded value was 159.9 million No in 2023.
What is the lowest number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) recorded in Middle Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 124.1 million No in 2018.
How does Middle Africa rank for number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million)?
Middle Africa ranks 3rd out of 11 groups with data for 2023.
Is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) rising or falling in Middle Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle 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.

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Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-moderately-or-severely-food-insecure-people-million-3-year-average-confidence/middle-africa/

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<a href="https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-moderately-or-severely-food-insecure-people-million-3-year-average-confidence/middle-africa/">Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Middle Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (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
159 places, 1,495 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.