Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa
Africa: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population was 21 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa stood at 21 %.
That represents a change of down 5.4% on the previous year and up 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa peaked at 22.2 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.7 %, in 2014.
Africa ranks 7th of 34 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 16.7 % | — |
| 2015 | 17 % | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 18.9 % | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 19.6 % | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 19 % | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 19.5 % | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 21.2 % | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 21.7 % | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 21.3 % | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 21.4 % | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 22.2 % | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 21 % | -5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.45 % | 16.7 % | 19.6 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 21.47 % | 21 % | 22.2 % | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Africa
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Area harvested, annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Yield, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 0.2698 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goats — Stocks, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth 0.5254 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Production, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Production, annual growth rate 1.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Roots and Tubers, Total — Yield, annual growth rate -0.422 % change on previous year (2024)
- Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested, annual growth rate -1.64 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Africa was 21 % in 2025, 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 Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 22.2 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7 % in 2014.
- How does Africa rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population?
- Africa ranks 7th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa 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) (annual value) — Confidence interval: Upper bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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.