Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Value by country
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...
What the numbers show
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Value is currently reported for 130 countries. The highest value is 88.8 % in South Sudan; the lowest is 1.1 % in Belarus.
The median across all reporting countries is 23.05 %, and the mean is 30.11 %.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 81.
Over the past decade 72 countries rose and 55 fell. The largest increase was in Lebanon (up 275.8%), and the largest decrease in Russian Federation (down 70.5%).
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 88.8 % | 2023 | up 4.3% | flat |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 81.7 % | 2023 | up 18.9% | rising |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | 88.5 % | 2023 | up 14.3% | rising |
| 3 | Haiti | 85.5 % | 2023 | up 1.9% | flat |
| 3 | United Republic of Tanzania | 56.3 % | 2023 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 4 | Malawi | 82.7 % | 2023 | up 5.1% | flat |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 82 % | 2023 | up 71.9% | rising |
| 5 | Melanesia | 53.9 % | 2023 | up 3.5% | flat |
| 6 | Liberia | 79.9 % | 2023 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 7 | Angola | 78.2 % | 2023 | up 3.3% | flat |
| 7 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 37.3 % | 2023 | down 21.5% | falling |
| 8 | Nigeria | 76.9 % | 2023 | up 125.5% | rising |
| 8 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 35.5 % | 2023 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 9 | Yemen | 75.6 % | 2023 | up 55.2% | rising |
| 9 | Republic of Moldova | 31.3 % | 2023 | up 62.2% | rising |
| 10 | Kenya | 73.1 % | 2023 | up 35.1% | rising |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 71.8 % | 2023 | up 9.8% | rising |
| 11 | Côte d'Ivoire | 37.8 % | 2023 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 11 | Viet Nam | 10.8 % | 2023 | up 58.8% | rising |
| 12 | Benin | 66.9 % | 2023 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 13 | Chad | 65.7 % | 2023 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 14 | Mauritania | 65.6 % | 2023 | up 138.5% | rising |
| 15 | Eswatini | 65.5 % | 2023 | — | rising |
| 16 | Guinea-Bissau | 62.5 % | 2021 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 17 | Lesotho | 62.1 % | 2023 | up 26.0% | rising |
| 17 | Cabo Verde | 32.1 % | 2023 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 18 | Cameroon | 61.2 % | 2023 | up 22.9% | rising |
| 19 | Madagascar | 60.7 % | 2023 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 20 | Ethiopia | 60 % | 2023 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 21 | Togo | 56.9 % | 2023 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 22 | Namibia | 55.8 % | 2023 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 23 | Botswana | 54.3 % | 2023 | up 8.8% | flat |
| 24 | Jamaica | 52.6 % | 2023 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 25 | Guatemala | 52.2 % | 2023 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 26 | Uganda | 51.8 % | 2023 | down 19.6% | falling |
| 27 | Niger | 49.5 % | 2023 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 28 | Zambia | 47 % | 2023 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 29 | Lebanon | 46.6 % | 2023 | up 275.8% | rising |
| 30 | El Salvador | 45.7 % | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 31 | Dominican Republic | 45.3 % | 2023 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 32 | Gambia | 44.4 % | 2023 | down 16.1% | flat |
| 33 | Kiribati | 43.9 % | 2023 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 34 | Ghana | 43.1 % | 2023 | up 7.5% | flat |
| 35 | Honduras | 42.4 % | 2023 | down 6.4% | flat |
| 36 | Burkina Faso | 42.1 % | 2023 | up 10.8% | rising |
| 37 | Cambodia | 39.4 % | 2023 | down 9.2% | flat |
| 38 | Peru | 38.8 % | 2023 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 39 | Ukraine | 36.6 % | 2023 | up 62.7% | rising |
| 40 | Albania | 36.4 % | 2023 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 41 | Argentina | 34.6 % | 2023 | up 53.1% | rising |
| 41 | Nepal | 34.6 % | 2023 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 43 | Ecuador | 33.7 % | 2023 | up 56.0% | rising |
| 44 | Philippines | 33.1 % | 2023 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 45 | Myanmar | 32.4 % | 2023 | up 41.5% | rising |
| 46 | Egypt | 31.8 % | 2023 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 47 | Colombia | 30.3 % | 2023 | up 42.9% | rising |
| 48 | Mauritius | 29.7 % | 2023 | up 109.2% | rising |
| 49 | Palestine, State of | 29.5 % | 2021 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 50 | Senegal | 29.1 % | 2023 | down 15.7% | falling |
| 51 | Libya | 28.1 % | 2023 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 52 | Bangladesh | 26.8 % | 2023 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 52 | Pakistan | 26.8 % | 2023 | up 64.4% | rising |
| 54 | Paraguay | 26.4 % | 2023 | up 210.6% | rising |
| 55 | Tunisia | 25.2 % | 2023 | up 40.0% | rising |
| 56 | Tajikistan | 25.1 % | 2023 | up 19.5% | rising |
| 57 | Georgia | 24.6 % | 2023 | down 25.9% | falling |
| 58 | South Africa | 21.5 % | 2023 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 59 | Mali | 20.8 % | 2023 | down 21.5% | falling |
| 60 | Mexico | 19.3 % | 2023 | down 26.1% | falling |
| 61 | Hungary | 19.1 % | 2023 | up 45.8% | rising |
| 62 | Samoa | 18.2 % | 2023 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 63 | New Zealand | 17.5 % | 2023 | up 42.3% | rising |
| 63 | Uruguay | 17.5 % | 2023 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 65 | Algeria | 17.1 % | 2023 | down 29.3% | falling |
| 66 | Grenada | 16.5 % | 2023 | down 30.1% | falling |
| 67 | Romania | 16.3 % | 2023 | down 25.9% | flat |
| 68 | Australia and New Zealand | 16 % | 2023 | up 30.1% | rising |
| 69 | Chile | 15.9 % | 2023 | up 27.2% | rising |
| 70 | Australia | 15.8 % | 2023 | up 28.5% | rising |
| 70 | Costa Rica | 15.8 % | 2023 | up 22.5% | rising |
| 72 | Azerbaijan | 15 % | 2023 | up 141.9% | rising |
| 73 | Finland | 14.1 % | 2023 | up 38.2% | rising |
| 73 | Malaysia | 14.1 % | 2023 | down 6.0% | flat |
| 75 | Portugal | 13.9 % | 2023 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 76 | Latvia | 13.8 % | 2023 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 77 | Estonia | 13.4 % | 2023 | up 30.1% | rising |
| 78 | Belize | 12.8 % | 2023 | down 57.3% | falling |
| 79 | Bulgaria | 11.4 % | 2023 | down 29.2% | falling |
| 80 | Brazil | 11.3 % | 2023 | down 26.1% | flat |
| 81 | Canada | 11.2 % | 2023 | up 111.3% | rising |
| 82 | Belgium | 11 % | 2023 | up 254.8% | rising |
| 83 | Montenegro | 10.5 % | 2023 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 83 | Singapore | 10.5 % | 2023 | up 238.7% | rising |
| 85 | Czechia | 10.3 % | 2023 | up 60.9% | rising |
| 86 | Sri Lanka | 10.2 % | 2023 | up 92.5% | rising |
| 87 | North Macedonia | 10.1 % | 2023 | down 42.0% | rising |
| 87 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 10.1 % | 2023 | up 74.1% | rising |
| 89 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9.8 % | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 90 | Malta | 9.7 % | 2023 | up 40.6% | rising |
| 91 | Iceland | 9.5 % | 2023 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 92 | Spain | 9.2 % | 2023 | up 22.7% | flat |
| 92 | Israel | 9.2 % | 2023 | down 23.3% | falling |
| 94 | Slovenia | 9 % | 2023 | down 38.4% | falling |
| 95 | France | 8.6 % | 2023 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 95 | Kuwait | 8.6 % | 2023 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 97 | Norway | 8.4 % | 2023 | up 71.4% | rising |
| 98 | Armenia | 8.3 % | 2023 | down 55.4% | falling |
| 98 | Slovakia | 8.3 % | 2023 | up 29.7% | rising |
| 100 | Sweden | 8.2 % | 2023 | up 74.5% | rising |
| 101 | Kyrgyzstan | 8 % | 2023 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 101 | Lithuania | 8 % | 2023 | down 50.3% | falling |
| 103 | Greece | 7.5 % | 2023 | down 52.2% | falling |
| 104 | Serbia | 7.2 % | 2023 | down 38.5% | falling |
| 105 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 6.9 % | 2023 | down 28.1% | falling |
| 106 | Denmark | 6.3 % | 2023 | down 3.1% | rising |
| 107 | Croatia | 6 % | 2023 | down 10.4% | flat |
| 108 | Ireland | 5.8 % | 2023 | down 32.6% | falling |
| 109 | Mongolia | 5 % | 2023 | down 28.6% | falling |
| 110 | Thailand | 4.8 % | 2023 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 111 | Japan | 4.4 % | 2023 | up 120.0% | rising |
| 111 | Republic of Korea | 4.4 % | 2023 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 113 | Indonesia | 4.2 % | 2023 | down 30.0% | falling |
| 114 | Austria | 4.1 % | 2023 | down 37.9% | falling |
| 115 | Germany | 4 % | 2023 | down 14.9% | falling |
| 116 | Poland | 3.4 % | 2023 | down 67.0% | falling |
| 117 | Luxembourg | 2.6 % | 2023 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 117 | Russian Federation | 2.6 % | 2023 | down 70.5% | falling |
| 119 | Switzerland | 2.1 % | 2023 | down 60.4% | falling |
| 120 | Kazakhstan | 1.3 % | 2023 | down 43.5% | falling |
| 121 | Belarus | 1.1 % | 2023 | down 31.2% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Low-income economies 64 %
- Middle Africa 76.7 %
- Eastern Africa 63.4 %
- Sub-Saharan Africa 62.4 %
- Western Africa 62.4 %
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 54.7 %
- Low Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDCs) 61.8 %
- Africa 56.7 %
- Small island developing States (SIDS) 48.4 %
- Caribbean 53.8 %
- Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand 51.2 %
- Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 48.5 %
- Lower-middle-income economies 39.5 %
- Asia 21.2 %
- Western Asia 36.7 %
- Southern Asia 36.5 %
- Central Asia and Southern Asia 35.7 %
- Western Asia and Northern Africa 35.3 %
- Northern Africa 33.8 %
- Latin America and the Caribbean 26.1 %
- Central America 26.1 %
- Southern Africa 25.6 %
- Oceania 25.2 %
- World 24.7 %
- South America 23.3 %
- Central Asia 15.8 %
- South-Eastern Asia 13.8 %
- United States of America 12.8 %
- Northern America 12.6 %
- Upper-middle-income economies 12.5 %
- Eastern Europe 9.7 %
- Northern America and Europe 9.2 %
- High-income economies 8 %
- Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia 7.9 %
- Europe 7.8 %
- Northern Europe 7.3 %
- Southern Europe 6.8 %
- Western Europe 6.4 %
- Eastern Asia 5.6 %
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.