Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in World
World: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 27.3 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in World, 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 total in World is 27.3 %, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and up 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in World peaked at 28.6 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 22.4 %, in 2014.
That places World 19th out of 37 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 22.4 % | — |
| 2015 | 23.1 % | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 24.1 % | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 25 % | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 26.6 % | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 27.8 % | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 28.6 % | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 28.2 % | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 27.9 % | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 27.3 % | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 24.83 % | 22.4 % | 27.8 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 28 % | 27.3 % | 28.6 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
More agriculture & rural data for World
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
- Rural population 42.2% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in World?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in World was 27.3 % 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.4 % in 2014.
- How does World rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- World ranks 19th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.