Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Upper bound by country
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...
What the numbers show
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Upper bound is currently reported for 123 countries. The highest value is 64.6 % in South Sudan; the lowest is 0.5 % in Indonesia.
The median across all reporting countries is 6 %, and the mean is 10.84 %.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 129.
Over the past decade 71 countries rose and 50 fell. The largest increase was in Pakistan (up 480.0%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 76.0%).
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 64.6 % | 2023 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 46 % | 2023 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 2 | Malawi | 59.5 % | 2023 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 3 | Haiti | 48.7 % | 2023 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 3 | Melanesia | 26.2 % | 2023 | up 3.1% | flat |
| 4 | Liberia | 38.1 % | 2023 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 4 | United Republic of Tanzania | 24.7 % | 2023 | up 10.8% | flat |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 36.3 % | 2023 | up 96.2% | rising |
| 6 | Sierra Leone | 36 % | 2023 | up 33.8% | rising |
| 7 | Jamaica | 30.9 % | 2023 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 8 | Namibia | 30.1 % | 2023 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 8 | Republic of Moldova | 7.9 % | 2023 | up 243.5% | rising |
| 9 | Zimbabwe | 29.1 % | 2023 | down 24.8% | falling |
| 9 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 6.9 % | 2023 | down 37.3% | falling |
| 10 | Eswatini | 28.1 % | 2023 | — | rising |
| 10 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 6 % | 2023 | down 45.0% | falling |
| 11 | Nigeria | 27.8 % | 2023 | up 135.6% | rising |
| 11 | Viet Nam | 2.4 % | 2023 | up 300.0% | volatile |
| 12 | Kenya | 27.5 % | 2023 | up 71.9% | rising |
| 13 | Cameroon | 27.3 % | 2023 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 14 | Chad | 26.4 % | 2023 | down 23.0% | falling |
| 15 | Lesotho | 25.8 % | 2023 | down 9.8% | falling |
| 16 | Guatemala | 25.5 % | 2023 | up 40.9% | rising |
| 17 | Botswana | 23 % | 2023 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 18 | Gambia | 20.1 % | 2023 | down 23.0% | falling |
| 19 | Ethiopia | 19.8 % | 2023 | up 19.3% | rising |
| 19 | Côte d'Ivoire | 8.7 % | 2023 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 20 | Zambia | 18.7 % | 2023 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 20 | Cabo Verde | 7.7 % | 2023 | down 33.0% | falling |
| 21 | Madagascar | 18 % | 2023 | up 65.1% | rising |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 17.9 % | 2023 | down 31.7% | falling |
| 22 | Libya | 17.9 % | 2023 | up 38.8% | rising |
| 24 | Angola | 16.6 % | 2023 | down 39.6% | falling |
| 25 | Honduras | 14.8 % | 2023 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 26 | El Salvador | 14.7 % | 2023 | down 4.5% | rising |
| 27 | Benin | 14.5 % | 2023 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 28 | Mauritius | 14.4 % | 2023 | up 128.6% | rising |
| 29 | Nepal | 14.2 % | 2023 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 30 | Ecuador | 13.9 % | 2023 | up 61.6% | rising |
| 31 | Uganda | 13.6 % | 2023 | down 41.6% | falling |
| 32 | Mauritania | 13.3 % | 2023 | up 146.3% | rising |
| 33 | Egypt | 13.1 % | 2023 | up 31.0% | rising |
| 34 | Argentina | 13 % | 2023 | up 80.6% | rising |
| 35 | Lebanon | 11.8 % | 2023 | up 126.9% | rising |
| 36 | Togo | 11 % | 2023 | down 37.5% | falling |
| 37 | Guinea-Bissau | 10.5 % | 2021 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 38 | Albania | 10.2 % | 2023 | down 12.1% | falling |
| 39 | Tunisia | 9.8 % | 2023 | down 19.7% | flat |
| 40 | Myanmar | 9.6 % | 2023 | up 269.2% | rising |
| 41 | Ghana | 9.4 % | 2023 | up 62.1% | rising |
| 42 | South Africa | 9.1 % | 2023 | up 19.7% | rising |
| 43 | Burkina Faso | 8.6 % | 2023 | up 24.6% | rising |
| 44 | Paraguay | 8.5 % | 2023 | up 226.9% | rising |
| 45 | Algeria | 7.8 % | 2023 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 45 | Niger | 7.8 % | 2023 | down 31.6% | falling |
| 47 | Ukraine | 6.8 % | 2023 | up 134.5% | rising |
| 48 | Romania | 6.7 % | 2023 | down 2.9% | rising |
| 49 | Hungary | 6.6 % | 2023 | up 247.4% | volatile |
| 50 | Georgia | 6.5 % | 2023 | down 23.5% | falling |
| 51 | Malaysia | 6.4 % | 2023 | down 30.4% | falling |
| 51 | Tajikistan | 6.4 % | 2023 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 53 | Kiribati | 6.2 % | 2023 | down 38.6% | falling |
| 54 | Grenada | 6 % | 2023 | down 51.2% | falling |
| 55 | New Zealand | 5.9 % | 2023 | up 55.3% | rising |
| 56 | Pakistan | 5.8 % | 2023 | up 480.0% | volatile |
| 57 | Colombia | 5.6 % | 2023 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 58 | Palestine, State of | 5.4 % | 2021 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 59 | Samoa | 5.3 % | 2023 | up 17.8% | rising |
| 59 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 5.3 % | 2023 | up 112.0% | rising |
| 61 | Australia | 5.2 % | 2023 | up 40.5% | rising |
| 61 | Australia and New Zealand | 5.2 % | 2023 | up 44.4% | rising |
| 63 | Singapore | 4.9 % | 2023 | up 226.7% | volatile |
| 64 | Finland | 4.8 % | 2023 | up 45.5% | rising |
| 65 | Senegal | 4.6 % | 2023 | down 47.1% | falling |
| 66 | Kuwait | 4.5 % | 2023 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 66 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 4.5 % | 2023 | up 114.3% | rising |
| 68 | Belgium | 4.4 % | 2023 | up 175.0% | rising |
| 69 | Sweden | 4.3 % | 2023 | up 258.3% | rising |
| 70 | France | 4 % | 2023 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 70 | Peru | 4 % | 2023 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 72 | Ireland | 3.9 % | 2023 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 73 | Belize | 3.8 % | 2023 | down 34.5% | falling |
| 73 | Cambodia | 3.8 % | 2023 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 75 | Philippines | 3.5 % | 2023 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 76 | Chile | 3.4 % | 2023 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 76 | Portugal | 3.4 % | 2023 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 78 | Mali | 3.1 % | 2023 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 79 | Spain | 2.9 % | 2023 | up 70.6% | rising |
| 79 | Mexico | 2.9 % | 2023 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 79 | Uruguay | 2.9 % | 2023 | up 38.1% | rising |
| 82 | Latvia | 2.8 % | 2023 | up 250.0% | volatile |
| 83 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.7 % | 2023 | up 28.6% | rising |
| 83 | Denmark | 2.7 % | 2023 | up 92.9% | rising |
| 83 | Estonia | 2.7 % | 2023 | up 125.0% | rising |
| 83 | Malta | 2.7 % | 2023 | up 35.0% | rising |
| 87 | Costa Rica | 2.6 % | 2023 | up 36.8% | rising |
| 87 | Czechia | 2.6 % | 2023 | up 160.0% | volatile |
| 87 | Iceland | 2.6 % | 2023 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 90 | Austria | 2.5 % | 2023 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 90 | Bulgaria | 2.5 % | 2023 | down 3.8% | rising |
| 92 | North Macedonia | 2.3 % | 2023 | down 51.1% | flat |
| 92 | Montenegro | 2.3 % | 2023 | down 20.7% | flat |
| 92 | Norway | 2.3 % | 2023 | up 35.3% | rising |
| 95 | Greece | 2.1 % | 2023 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 96 | Switzerland | 2 % | 2023 | down 13.0% | falling |
| 96 | Republic of Korea | 2 % | 2023 | up 300.0% | rising |
| 98 | Canada | 1.9 % | 2023 | up 137.5% | rising |
| 98 | Germany | 1.9 % | 2023 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 98 | Japan | 1.9 % | 2023 | up 171.4% | rising |
| 98 | Lithuania | 1.9 % | 2023 | down 44.1% | falling |
| 98 | Slovakia | 1.9 % | 2023 | up 26.7% | rising |
| 103 | Croatia | 1.3 % | 2023 | up 44.4% | rising |
| 103 | Serbia | 1.3 % | 2023 | down 45.8% | flat |
| 105 | Israel | 1.2 % | 2023 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 105 | Sri Lanka | 1.2 % | 2023 | up 71.4% | rising |
| 107 | Slovenia | 1.1 % | 2023 | down 15.4% | rising |
| 108 | Kyrgyzstan | 1 % | 2023 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 108 | Luxembourg | 1 % | 2023 | down 58.3% | falling |
| 110 | Thailand | 0.8 % | 2023 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 111 | Brazil | 0.6 % | 2023 | down 25.0% | volatile |
| 111 | Kazakhstan | 0.6 % | 2023 | down 14.3% | flat |
| 111 | Poland | 0.6 % | 2023 | down 76.0% | falling |
| 114 | Indonesia | 0.5 % | 2018 | — | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Caribbean 28.7 %
- Middle Africa 35.8 %
- Low-income economies 28.1 %
- Low Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDCs) 25.5 %
- Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand 24.6 %
- Eastern Africa 24.3 %
- Small island developing States (SIDS) 23.6 %
- Sub-Saharan Africa 23.7 %
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 21.4 %
- Africa 21.5 %
- Asia 9.1 %
- Western Africa 20.4 %
- Southern Asia 17.5 %
- Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) 17.1 %
- Central Asia and Southern Asia 16.9 %
- Lower-middle-income economies 16.8 %
- Western Asia 15.3 %
- Western Asia and Northern Africa 13.8 %
- Northern Africa 12.6 %
- Southern Africa 11.1 %
- Oceania 10.9 %
- World 10.1 %
- Central America 7.2 %
- Latin America and the Caribbean 7 %
- South America 5.1 %
- Northern Europe 4.3 %
- Central Asia 3.6 %
- Upper-middle-income economies 2.8 %
- Western Europe 2.6 %
- Europe 2.2 %
- South-Eastern Asia 2.1 %
- High-income economies 1.9 %
- Eastern Europe 1.8 %
- Northern America and Europe 1.8 %
- Southern Europe 1.6 %
- Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia 1.4 %
- Northern America 1.2 %
- Eastern Asia 1.2 %
- United States of America 1.2 %
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.