Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in South America
South America: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population was 4.5 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in South America, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in South America is 4.5 %, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 11.8% on the previous year and up 40.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in South America peaked at 11.1 % in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.2 %, in 2015.
South America ranks 21st of 34 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 South America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3.5 % | — |
| 2015 | 3.2 % | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 5.5 % | +71.9% |
| 2017 | 6.1 % | +10.9% |
| 2018 | 5.7 % | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 5.8 % | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 9.1 % | +56.9% |
| 2021 | 11.1 % | +22.0% |
| 2022 | 8.9 % | -19.8% |
| 2023 | 5.7 % | -36.0% |
| 2024 | 5.1 % | -10.5% |
| 2025 | 4.5 % | -11.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.97 % | 3.2 % | 6.1 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 7.4 % | 4.5 % | 11.1 % | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for South America
- Beef and Buffalo Meat, primary — Producing Animals/Slaughtered 9.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Raw milk of cattle — Milk Animals, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep — Stocks, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep fat, unrendered — Production, annual growth rate -2.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep fat, unrendered — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth -2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Beef and Buffalo Meat, primary — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth -1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Beef and Buffalo Meat, primary — Production, annual growth rate 7.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Yield, annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Area harvested, annual growth rate -1.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Production, annual growth rate 1.5 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in South America?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in South America was 4.5 % 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 South America?
- The highest recorded value was 11.1 % in 2021.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in South America?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2 % in 2015.
- How does South America rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population?
- South America ranks 21st out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population rising or falling in South America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South America 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.