Number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America
South America: Number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) was 17.1 million No in 2025. ▲ Rising
Number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in million No.
Analysis
In 2025, number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America stood at 17.1 million No.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.8% on the previous year and up 56.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America peaked at 44.3 million No in 2021 and was at its lowest, 10.9 million No, in 2015.
That places South America 20th out of 34 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America, year by year
| Year | million No | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 11.6 million No | — |
| 2015 | 10.9 million No | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 19.7 million No | +80.7% |
| 2017 | 22.8 million No | +15.7% |
| 2018 | 21.2 million No | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 22 million No | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 35.8 million No | +62.7% |
| 2021 | 44.3 million No | +23.7% |
| 2022 | 35.6 million No | -19.6% |
| 2023 | 21.8 million No | -38.8% |
| 2024 | 19.6 million No | -10.1% |
| 2025 | 17.1 million No | -12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.03 million No | 10.9 million No | 22.8 million No | 6 |
| 2020s | 29.03 million No | 17.1 million No | 44.3 million No | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for South America
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Production, annual growth rate -6.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Meat, Poultry — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate -0.1374 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Production, annual growth rate -0.6854 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Yield, annual growth rate -1.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- Eggs Primary — Laying, annual growth rate 6.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Eggs Primary — Production, annual growth rate 7.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Eggs Primary — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 0.9589 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 0.0204 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Yield, annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America?
- Number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) in South America was 17.1 million No in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) recorded in South America?
- The highest recorded value was 44.3 million No in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9 million No in 2015.
- How does South America rank for number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value)?
- South America ranks 20th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South America data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Number of severely food insecure people (million) (annual value) — Confidence interval: Lower bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.