Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population was 10.2 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Southern 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 Southern Africa stood at 10.2 %.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Southern Africa peaked at 10.8 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9 %, in 2014.
That places Southern Africa 17th 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 Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9 % | — |
| 2015 | 9.1 % | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 9.2 % | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 9.4 % | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 9.3 % | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 9.2 % | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 10.7 % | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 10.7 % | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 10.6 % | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 10.8 % | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 10.3 % | -4.6% |
| 2025 | 10.2 % | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 9.2 % | 9 % | 9.4 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 10.55 % | 10.2 % | 10.8 % | 6 |
More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa
- Eggs Primary — Laying, annual growth rate 0.0881 % change on previous year (2024)
- Meat, Poultry — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth rate 0.6002 % change on previous year (2024)
- Meat, Poultry — Production, annual growth rate 3.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Meat, Poultry — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 2.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Production, annual growth rate 0.8425 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Yield, annual growth rate 1.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fruit Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate -0.8158 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Area harvested, annual growth rate -0.2717 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Yield, annual growth rate 1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Production, annual growth rate 1.52 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Southern Africa?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population in Southern Africa was 10.2 % 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 Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 % in 2014.
- How does Southern Africa rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population?
- Southern Africa ranks 17th out of 34 groups with data for 2025.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern 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) — Value. 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.