Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population was 16.6 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Ethiopia, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 16.6 % for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in 2023.
That represents a change of down 12.6% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Ethiopia peaked at 21.1 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.1 %, in 2017.
Ethiopia ranks 21st of 112 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 14.5 % | — |
| 2015 | 15 % | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 14.8 % | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 14.1 % | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 16.4 % | +16.3% |
| 2019 | 19.6 % | +19.5% |
| 2020 | 21.1 % | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 19.7 % | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 19 % | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 16.6 % | -12.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.73 % | 14.1 % | 19.6 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 19.1 % | 16.6 % | 21.1 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 18 Gambia 17.6 % compare
- 19 Côte d'Ivoire 7.9 % compare
- 19 Zambia 17.2 % compare
- 20 Madagascar 16.9 % compare
- 22 Cabo Verde 6.4 % compare
- 22 Dominican Republic 16.4 % compare
- 23 Angola 16.2 % compare
- 24 Libya 15.1 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Ethiopia?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Ethiopia was 16.6 % 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1 % in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1 % in 2017.
- How does Ethiopia rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population?
- Ethiopia ranks 21st out of 112 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.