Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult was 81.6 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi is 81.6 %, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi peaked at 81.8 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 77.4 %, in 2014.
Malawi ranks 4th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 77.4 % | — |
| 2015 | 78.5 % | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 79.6 % | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 78.1 % | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 79.2 % | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 80.6 % | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 81.8 % | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 81.4 % | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 81.3 % | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 81.6 % | +0.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 81.6 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 60.3 %, 1.4× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 81.6 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.4 %, 1.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 78.9 % | 77.4 % | 80.6 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 81.53 % | 81.3 % | 81.8 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Democratic Republic of the Congo 79.9 % compare
- 1 South Sudan 87.2 % compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 85.9 % compare
- 3 Haiti 81.9 % compare
- 3 United Republic of Tanzania 54.2 % compare
- 5 Liberia 78 % compare
- 5 Melanesia 52.1 % compare
- 6 Angola 77.7 % compare
- 7 Afghanistan 75.8 % compare
- 7 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 35.2 % compare
- 7 Caribbean 52.2 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Malawi
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 24.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3003 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 201.66 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8241 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 30.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 30.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Malawi was 81.6 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 81.8 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.4 % in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult?
- Malawi ranks 4th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — 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.