Population in moderate or severe food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Population in moderate or severe food insecurity was 790,083 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in moderate or severe food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 790,083 for population in moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025.
The figure is up 62.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in moderate or severe food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 790,100 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 460,342, in 2014.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th of 35 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Population in moderate or severe food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 460,342 | — |
| 2015 | 487,020 | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 543,864 | +11.7% |
| 2017 | 570,688 | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 587,645 | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 615,814 | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 666,424 | +8.2% |
| 2021 | 717,071 | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 738,020 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 754,409 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 790,100 | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 790,083 | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 544,229 | 460,342 | 615,814 | 6 |
| 2020s | 742,684 | 666,424 | 790,100 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 Nigeria 178,058 compare
- 2 Democratic Republic of the Congo 89,267 compare
- 3 Ethiopia 79,350 compare
- 4 Pakistan 57,469 compare
- 5 Bangladesh 45,409 compare
- 6 Kenya 40,475 compare
- 7 United Republic of Tanzania 39,121 compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in moderate or severe food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Population in moderate or severe food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa was 790,083 in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest population in moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 790,100 in 2024.
- What is the lowest population in moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 460,342 in 2014.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for population in moderate or severe food insecurity?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th out of 35 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population in moderate or severe food insecurity rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Population in moderate or severe food insecurity (thousands of people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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