Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia
Australia: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 17.1 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia stood at 17.1 %. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia peaked at 17.1 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12.8 %, in 2014.
Australia ranks 69th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 12.8 % | — |
| 2015 | 14 % | +9.4% |
| 2016 | 15.1 % | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 15.8 % | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 14.6 % | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 13.9 % | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 13.2 % | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 14.7 % | +11.4% |
| 2022 | 15.8 % | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 17.1 % | +8.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 17.1 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.6 %, 1.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Australia's 17.1 % is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.9 %, 96% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 14.37 % | 12.8 % | 15.8 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 15.2 % | 13.2 % | 17.1 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Australia was 17.1 % 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 total recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8 % in 2014.
- How does Australia rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- Australia ranks 69th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 total population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Upper bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
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.