Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value in Southern Africa

Southern Africa: Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value was 11.9 % in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
11.9 %
Change on year
up 5.3%
Rank
11th
of 28 groups
All-time high
11.9 %
in 2023
All-time low
4.8 %
in 2003
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value in Southern Africa, 2000–2023

02.557.51012.52000201120232000: 5 %2001: 4.9 %2002: 4.9 %2003: 4.8 %2004: 4.9 %2005: 5 %2006: 5.1 %2007: 5.2 %2008: 5.6 %2009: 6 %2010: 6.2 %2011: 6.2 %2012: 6.4 %2013: 7 %2014: 7.3 %2015: 7.3 %2016: 7.2 %2017: 7.4 %2018: 8.3 %2019: 9.6 %2020: 10.5 %2021: 11 %2022: 11.3 %2023: 11.9 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value in Southern Africa is 11.9 %, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.3% on the previous year and up 70.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value in Southern Africa peaked at 11.9 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.8 %, in 2003.

Southern Africa ranks 11th of 28 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value in Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value in Southern Africa, 2000 to 2023.
Year % Change
2000 5 %
2001 4.9 % -2.0%
2002 4.9 % +0.0%
2003 4.8 % -2.0%
2004 4.9 % +2.1%
2005 5 % +2.0%
2006 5.1 % +2.0%
2007 5.2 % +2.0%
2008 5.6 % +7.7%
2009 6 % +7.1%
2010 6.2 % +3.3%
2011 6.2 % +0.0%
2012 6.4 % +3.2%
2013 7 % +9.4%
2014 7.3 % +4.3%
2015 7.3 % +0.0%
2016 7.2 % -1.4%
2017 7.4 % +2.8%
2018 8.3 % +12.2%
2019 9.6 % +15.7%
2020 10.5 % +9.4%
2021 11 % +4.8%
2022 11.3 % +2.7%
2023 11.9 % +5.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.14 % 4.8 % 6 % 10
2010s 7.29 % 6.2 % 9.6 % 10
2020s 11.18 % 10.5 % 11.9 % 4

Countries ranked near Southern Africa

  1. 8 Papua New Guinea 30.5 % compare
  2. 8 United Republic of Tanzania 19.1 % compare
  3. 9 Central African Republic 29.8 % compare
  4. 9 Timor-Leste 16.9 % compare
  5. 10 Afghanistan 27.8 % compare
  6. 11 Lao People's Democratic Republic 10 % compare
  7. 11 Solomon Islands 27 % compare
  8. 12 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 6.7 % compare
  9. 12 Sierra Leone 25.3 % compare
  10. 13 Congo 25 % compare
  11. 13 Côte d'Ivoire 11.4 % compare
  12. 14 Malawi 24.5 % compare
  13. 14 Viet Nam 6.1 % compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa

All data for Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value in Southern Africa?
Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value in Southern Africa was 11.9 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value recorded in Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 11.9 % in 2023.
What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value recorded in Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 4.8 % in 2003.
How does Southern Africa rank for prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value?
Southern Africa ranks 11th out of 28 groups with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — value rising or falling in Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 70.0%. 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 undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value in Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-undernourishment-percent-3-year-average-value/southern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of undernourishment (percent) (3-year average) — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
162 places, 3,538 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

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.