Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population was 62.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 62.1% for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in 2025.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and up 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 63.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 47.9%, in 2014.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd 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.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 47.9% | — |
| 2015 | 49.4% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 53.7% | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 54.9% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 55.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 56.2% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 62.2% | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 62.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 62.3% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 63.6% | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 62.1% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 52.9% | 47.9% | 56.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 62.0% | 59.3% | 63.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 South Sudan 88.8% compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 88.1% compare
- 3 Haiti 83.5% compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 81.7% compare
- 5 Malawi 81.6% 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 prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa was 62.1% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 63.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.9% in 2014.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 35 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.7%. 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 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).