Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population was 58.3 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Malawi, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 58.3 % for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Malawi peaked at 58.3 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 48.5 %, in 2014.
Malawi ranks 2nd of 104 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 48.5 % | — |
| 2015 | 49.4 % | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 50.6 % | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 49.2 % | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 50.4 % | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 52 % | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 52.4 % | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 53.6 % | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 55.5 % | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 58.3 % | +5.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 58.3 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 15.4 %, 3.8× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 58.3 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.1 %, 3.6× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 50.02 % | 48.5 % | 52 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 54.95 % | 52.4 % | 58.3 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 Democratic Republic of the Congo 42.1 % compare
- 1 South Sudan 61.2 % compare
- 3 Haiti 41.8 % compare
- 3 Melanesia 23.3 % compare
- 4 Liberia 34 % compare
- 4 United Republic of Tanzania 20.7 % compare
- 5 Afghanistan 28.7 % 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 severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Malawi?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Malawi was 58.3 % 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 58.3 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.5 % in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 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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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.