Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa
Western Africa: Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) was 281.6 million No in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in million No.
Analysis
In 2025, number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa stood at 281.6 million No.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 103.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa peaked at 282.6 million No in 2024 and was at its lowest, 124.4 million No, in 2014.
Western Africa ranks 12th of 34 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) in Western Africa, year by year
| Year | million No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 124.4 million No | — |
| 2015 | 138.5 million No | +11.3% |
| 2016 | 156.6 million No | +13.1% |
| 2017 | 165.3 million No | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 178.6 million No | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 189.7 million No | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 218.2 million No | +15.0% |
| 2021 | 253.3 million No | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 256.6 million No | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 268.2 million No | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 282.6 million No | +5.4% |
| 2025 | 281.6 million No | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 158.85 million No | 124.4 million No | 189.7 million No | 6 |
| 2020s | 260.08 million No | 218.2 million No | 282.6 million No | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Western Africa
- Sheep fat, unrendered — Production, annual growth rate 2.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep — Stocks, annual growth rate 2.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw milk of cattle — Milk Animals, annual growth rate 1.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw milk of cattle — Production, annual growth rate 1.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw milk of cattle — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 0.4184 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of sheep or lambs — Producing -2.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of sheep or lambs — Production, annual growth rate 2.63 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of sheep or lambs — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of goats or kids — Producing Animals/Slaughtered 1.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw hides and skins of goats or kids — Production, annual growth rate -0.9422 % change on previous year (2024)
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 281.6 million No in 2025, 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 282.6 million No in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) recorded in Western Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 124.4 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 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is number of moderately or severely food insecure people (million) rising or falling in Western Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 103.3%. 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) (annual value) — Confidence interval: Lower bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
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.