Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 81.6 % in 2023. ▬ Flat
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total 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 total in Malawi is 81.6 %, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Malawi peaked at 82.4 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 78.1 %, in 2014.
Malawi ranks 4th of 121 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 78.1 % | — |
| 2015 | 79.2 % | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 80.3 % | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 78.8 % | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 79.9 % | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 81.3 % | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 82.4 % | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 81.7 % | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 81.7 % | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 81.6 % | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 79.6 % | 78.1 % | 81.3 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 81.85 % | 81.6 % | 82.4 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Democratic Republic of the Congo 81.7 % compare
- 1 South Sudan 88.8 % compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 88.1 % compare
- 3 Haiti 83.5 % compare
- 3 United Republic of Tanzania 57 % compare
- 5 Liberia 79 % compare
- 5 Melanesia 54.1 % compare
- 6 Afghanistan 77.8 % compare
- 7 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 37.7 % compare
- 7 Nigeria 76.5 % 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 total in Malawi?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total 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 total recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 82.4 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.1 % in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- Malawi ranks 4th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 total population (percent) (3-year average) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.