Number of people who are undernourished in South Africa
South Africa: Number of people who are undernourished was 6.30 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of people who are undernourished in South Africa, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).
Analysis
In 2023, number of people who are undernourished in South Africa stood at 6.30 million. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 103.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people who are undernourished in South Africa peaked at 6.30 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.60 million, in 2004.
That places South Africa 23rd out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Number of people who are undernourished in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.70 million | — |
| 2002 | 1.70 million | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.70 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.60 million | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 1.60 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.70 million | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 1.80 million | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 1.80 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.10 million | +16.7% |
| 2010 | 2.40 million | +14.3% |
| 2011 | 2.60 million | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 2.80 million | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 3.10 million | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 3.60 million | +16.1% |
| 2015 | 3.70 million | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 3.70 million | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.50 million | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 3.70 million | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 4.30 million | +16.2% |
| 2020 | 5.20 million | +20.9% |
| 2021 | 5.80 million | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 6.20 million | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 6.30 million | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.74 million | 1.60 million | 2.10 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.34 million | 2.40 million | 4.30 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.88 million | 5.20 million | 6.30 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate 1.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.0422 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, annual growth rate 0.5965 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0391 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people who are undernourished in South Africa?
- Number of people who are undernourished in South Africa was 6.30 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.30 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people who are undernourished recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.60 million in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for number of people who are undernourished?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people who are undernourished rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 103.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.