Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa

Africa: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population was 20.6 % in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
20.6 %
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
6th
of 37 groups
All-time high
20.6 %
in 2022
All-time low
16.8 %
in 2014
Years of data
10
2014–2023

Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa, 2014–2023

051015202014201820232014: 16.8 %2015: 17.4 %2016: 18 %2017: 18.1 %2018: 18.7 %2019: 19.6 %2020: 20.2 %2021: 20.3 %2022: 20.6 %2023: 20.6 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa stood at 20.6 %. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of up 22.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa peaked at 20.6 % in 2022 and was at its lowest, 16.8 %, in 2014.

That places Africa 6th out of 37 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound in Africa, 2014 to 2023.
Year % Change
2014 16.8 %
2015 17.4 % +3.6%
2016 18 % +3.4%
2017 18.1 % +0.6%
2018 18.7 % +3.3%
2019 19.6 % +4.8%
2020 20.2 % +3.1%
2021 20.3 % +0.5%
2022 20.6 % +1.5%
2023 20.6 % +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 18.1 % 16.8 % 19.6 % 6
2020s 20.43 % 20.2 % 20.6 % 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 3 Haiti 41.8 % compare
  2. 3 Melanesia 23.3 % compare
  3. 4 Liberia 34 % compare
  4. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 20.7 % compare
  5. 5 Afghanistan 28.7 % compare
  6. 6 Sierra Leone 27.7 % compare
  7. 7 Namibia 27 % compare
  8. 7 Caribbean 20 % compare
  9. 8 Kenya 26.2 % compare
  10. 8 Republic of Moldova 5.1 % compare
  11. 9 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.5 % compare
  12. 9 Nigeria 25.2 % compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa?
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa was 20.6 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 20.6 % in 2022.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 16.8 % in 2014.
How does Africa rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population?
Africa ranks 6th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-severe-food-insecurity-in-the-female-adult-population-percent-3-year-2/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower bound
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
152 places, 1,370 data points, 2014–2023
Last refreshed

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.