Number of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Number of people who are undernourished was 40.70 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 40.70 million for number of people who are undernourished in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and up 74.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 40.70 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.00 million, in 2001.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th of 130 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Number of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 14.00 million | — |
| 2002 | 14.60 million | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 15.10 million | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 15.60 million | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 16.10 million | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 16.60 million | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 17.20 million | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 17.90 million | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 18.90 million | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 19.70 million | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 21.00 million | +6.6% |
| 2012 | 22.30 million | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 23.30 million | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 24.40 million | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 25.70 million | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 27.10 million | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 28.40 million | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 29.30 million | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 31.70 million | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 33.80 million | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 36.30 million | +7.4% |
| 2022 | 38.20 million | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 40.70 million | +6.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 40.70 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.30 million, 7.7× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 40.70 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.10 million, 19.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.22 million | 14.00 million | 18.90 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 25.29 million | 19.70 million | 31.70 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.25 million | 33.80 million | 40.70 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 133,650 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0905 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Number of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo was 40.70 million in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).
- What is the highest number of people who are undernourished recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 40.70 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people who are undernourished recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.00 million in 2001.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for number of people who are undernourished?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home), published as part of Number of people who are undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people who are undernourished shows the number of people whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life.