Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies
Lower-middle-income economies: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population was 15.6 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lower-middle-income economies recorded 15.6 % for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in 2023.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and up 35.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies peaked at 17.9 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.2 %, in 2015.
That places Lower-middle-income economies 10th 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 Lower-middle-income economies, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 11.5 % | — |
| 2015 | 11.2 % | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 12.1 % | +8.0% |
| 2017 | 13.3 % | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 15.7 % | +18.0% |
| 2019 | 17.5 % | +11.5% |
| 2020 | 17.9 % | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 17.3 % | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 16.3 % | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 15.6 % | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13.55 % | 11.2 % | 17.5 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 16.77 % | 15.6 % | 17.9 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lower-middle-income economies
- 7 Namibia 27 % compare
- 7 Caribbean 20 % compare
- 8 Kenya 26.2 % compare
- 8 Republic of Moldova 5.1 % compare
- 9 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.5 % compare
- 9 Nigeria 25.2 % compare
- 10 Chad 24.3 % compare
- 10 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 3.1 % compare
- 11 Eswatini 24.1 % compare
- 11 Viet Nam 1.4 % compare
- 12 Lesotho 23.8 % compare
- 13 Zimbabwe 22.2 % compare
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 stunted (modelled) 28.9 % (2024)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight 4 % (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 severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies was 15.6 % 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 Lower-middle-income economies?
- The highest recorded value was 17.9 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population recorded in Lower-middle-income economies?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2 % in 2015.
- How does Lower-middle-income economies rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population?
- Lower-middle-income economies ranks 10th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population rising or falling in Lower-middle-income economies?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.7%. 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 severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower 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.