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

Western Africa: Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) was 282.4 million No in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
282.4 million No
Change on year
up 3.1%
Rank
12th
of 37 groups
All-time high
282.4 million No
in 2023
All-time low
145.1 million No
in 2014
Years of data
10
2014–2023

Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa, 2014–2023

01002003002014201820232014: 145.1 million No2015: 159.5 million No2016: 173.6 million No2017: 185.4 million No2018: 202.8 million No2019: 226.7 million No2020: 248.1 million No2021: 264.1 million No2022: 274 million No2023: 282.4 million No

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

Analysis

Western Africa recorded 282.4 million No for number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and up 94.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa peaked at 282.4 million No in 2023 and was at its lowest, 145.1 million No, in 2014.

Western Africa ranks 12th of 37 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) (3-year average) — Value in Western Africa, 2014 to 2023.
Year million No Change
2014 145.1 million No
2015 159.5 million No +9.9%
2016 173.6 million No +8.8%
2017 185.4 million No +6.8%
2018 202.8 million No +9.4%
2019 226.7 million No +11.8%
2020 248.1 million No +9.4%
2021 264.1 million No +6.4%
2022 274 million No +3.7%
2023 282.4 million No +3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 182.18 million No 145.1 million No 226.7 million No 6
2020s 267.15 million No 248.1 million No 282.4 million No 4

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 9 Yemen 30.2 million No compare
  2. 9 Melanesia 7 million No compare
  3. 10 Angola 28.6 million No compare
  4. 10 Lao People's Democratic Republic 2.7 million No compare
  5. 11 Republic of Moldova 0.8 million No compare
  6. 11 Uganda 25.8 million No compare
  7. 12 Mexico 21.6 million No compare
  8. 13 Brazil 20.3 million No compare
  9. 14 Madagascar 19.5 million No compare
  10. 15 Cameroon 17.7 million No compare
  11. 15 Malawi 17.7 million No compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Western Africa

All data for Western Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa?
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa was 282.4 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 Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 282.4 million No in 2023.
What is the lowest number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 145.1 million No in 2014.
How does Western Africa rank for number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million)?
Western Africa ranks 12th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
Is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 94.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Western 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) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-moderately-or-severely-food-insecure-people-million-3-year-average-value/western-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) (3-year average) — Value
Unit
million No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
160 places, 1,505 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.