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 16.4 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lower-middle-income economies recorded 16.4 % for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.3% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies peaked at 21.2 % in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.2 %, in 2016.
That places Lower-middle-income economies 11th out of 34 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Lower-middle-income economies, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 15.7 % | — |
| 2015 | 14.1 % | -10.2% |
| 2016 | 13.2 % | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 13.2 % | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16.4 % | +24.2% |
| 2019 | 17.3 % | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 19.7 % | +13.9% |
| 2021 | 21.2 % | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 18.2 % | -14.2% |
| 2023 | 18.3 % | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 17.7 % | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 16.4 % | -7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 14.98 % | 13.2 % | 17.3 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 18.58 % | 16.4 % | 21.2 % | 6 |
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 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 16.4 % in 2025, 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 21.2 % in 2021.
- 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 13.2 % in 2016.
- How does Lower-middle-income economies rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population?
- Lower-middle-income economies ranks 11th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- 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 16.3%. 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 severe food insecurity in the female adult 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.