Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 22.6 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean stood at 22.6 %.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean peaked at 32.6 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 21.3 %, in 2014.
Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 19th of 34 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 21.3 % | — |
| 2015 | 23.1 % | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 26.6 % | +15.2% |
| 2017 | 28.2 % | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 26.5 % | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 27 % | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 32.6 % | +20.7% |
| 2021 | 32.1 % | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 28.9 % | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 25.5 % | -11.8% |
| 2024 | 23.4 % | -8.2% |
| 2025 | 22.6 % | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 25.45 % | 21.3 % | 28.2 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 27.52 % | 22.6 % | 32.6 % | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Latin America and the Caribbean
- ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in 7.12 % (2025)
- ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in 16.69 % (2025)
- ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Share of employment in agriculture in 12.72 % (2025)
- ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO 9,098 1000 No (2025)
- ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO 29,996 1000 No (2025)
- ILO - ILO Modelled Estimates — Employment in agriculture - ILO 39,094 1000 No (2025)
- Minimum dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 1,861 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Average dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 2,409 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Per capita food supply variability (kcal/cap/day) — Value 13 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) 12.4 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Latin America and the Caribbean was 22.6 % in 2025, 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 Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 32.6 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3 % in 2014.
- How does Latin America and the Caribbean rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 19th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America and the Caribbean 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) (annual value) — Confidence interval: Lower bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.