Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Lower-middle-income economies
Lower-middle-income economies: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 38.1 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Lower-middle-income economies, 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 Lower-middle-income economies stood at 38.1 %.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Lower-middle-income economies peaked at 44.2 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30.9 %, in 2015.
Lower-middle-income economies ranks 10th 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 Lower-middle-income economies, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 31.3 % | — |
| 2015 | 30.9 % | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 31.5 % | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 31.7 % | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 35.7 % | +12.6% |
| 2019 | 37.5 % | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 44.2 % | +17.9% |
| 2021 | 43 % | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 41.8 % | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 41.7 % | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 40.9 % | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 38.1 % | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 33.1 % | 30.9 % | 37.5 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 41.62 % | 38.1 % | 44.2 % | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lower-middle-income economies
More agriculture & rural data for Lower-middle-income economies
- Average dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 2,312 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Minimum dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 1,789 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Per capita food supply variability (kcal/cap/day) — Value 7 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) 12 % (2024)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight 4 % (2024)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) 28.9 % (2024)
- Gross domestic product per capita, PPP, (constant 2021 international) 8,996 Int$/cap (2024)
- Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value 242.5 million No (2024)
- Dietary energy supply used in the estimation of the prevalence of 2,714 kcal/cap/d (2024)
- Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) 43.8 % (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Lower-middle-income economies?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Lower-middle-income economies was 38.1 % 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 Lower-middle-income economies?
- The highest recorded value was 44.2 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Lower-middle-income economies?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.9 % in 2015.
- How does Lower-middle-income economies rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- Lower-middle-income economies ranks 10th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in Lower-middle-income economies?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lower-middle-income economies 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: Upper bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 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.