Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Western Asia and Northern Africa
Western Asia and Northern Africa: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population was 13.6 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Western Asia and Northern Africa, 2014–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Western Asia and Northern Africa recorded 13.6 % for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Western Asia and Northern Africa peaked at 14.2 % in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.8 %, in 2015.
That places Western Asia and Northern Africa 14th out of 34 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Western Asia and Northern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 10 % | — |
| 2015 | 9.8 % | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 10.9 % | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 11.1 % | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 10.6 % | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 10.3 % | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 11.3 % | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 12.9 % | +14.2% |
| 2022 | 13.8 % | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 13.6 % | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 14.2 % | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 13.6 % | -4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.45 % | 9.8 % | 11.1 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 13.23 % | 11.3 % | 14.2 % | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Western Asia and Northern Africa
- Minimum dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 1,828 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Average dietary energy requirement (kcal/cap/day) — Value 2,365 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Per capita food supply variability (kcal/cap/day) — Value 25 kcal/cap/d (2025)
- Prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older) 31.6 % (2024)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are overweight 7.4 % (2024)
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) 18.1 % (2024)
- Gross domestic product per capita, PPP, (constant 2021 international) 23,360 Int$/cap (2024)
- Percentage of population using at least basic sanitation services 91 % (2024)
- Number of obese adults (18 years and older) (million) — Value 119 million No (2024)
- Dietary energy supply used in the estimation of the prevalence of 3,028 kcal/cap/d (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Western Asia and Northern Africa was 13.6 % 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 Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2 % in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8 % in 2015.
- How does Western Asia and Northern Africa rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population?
- Western Asia and Northern Africa ranks 14th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population rising or falling in Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Western Asia and Northern 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.