Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population was 22.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2025, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 22.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.6% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 23.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 17.7%, in 2014.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 4th out of 35 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 17.7% | — |
| 2015 | 18.4% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 20.5% | +11.4% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 20.7% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | +7.9% |
| 2021 | 23.5% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 22.8% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 23.0% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 23.8% | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 22.7% | -4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 20.0% | 17.7% | 21.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 23.2% | 22.7% | 23.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 South Sudan 62.9% compare
- 2 Malawi 58.1% compare
- 3 Haiti 45.4% compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 43.9% compare
- 5 Liberia 35.5% compare
- 6 Sierra Leone 31.9% compare
- 7 Afghanistan 30.2% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.96 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Sub-Saharan Africa was 22.7% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 23.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 2014.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th out of 35 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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