Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Gambia
Gambia: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population was 20.1 % in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Gambia, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 20.1 % for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 17.3% on the previous year and down 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Gambia peaked at 29.7 % in 2019 and was at its lowest, 20.1 %, in 2023.
Gambia ranks 18th of 114 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 26.1 % | — |
| 2016 | 26.1 % | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 27.1 % | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 28.3 % | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 29.7 % | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 29.5 % | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 28.2 % | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 24.3 % | -13.8% |
| 2023 | 20.1 % | -17.3% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 20.1 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 19.95 %, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 20.1 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.25 %, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 27.46 % | 26.1 % | 29.7 % | 5 |
| 2020s | 25.52 % | 20.1 % | 29.5 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More agriculture & rural data for Gambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 25.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2385 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 219.17 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2766 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3501 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Gambia?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Gambia was 20.1 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7 % in 2019.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.1 % in 2023.
- How does Gambia rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population?
- Gambia ranks 18th out of 114 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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 total population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Upper bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 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.