Number of people who are undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of people who are undernourished was 260.10 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of people who are undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 260.10 million for number of people who are undernourished in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 55.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people who are undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 260.10 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 153.20 million, in 2009.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 7th out of 42 groups 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 165.70 million | — |
| 2002 | 166.30 million | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 166.70 million | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 164.70 million | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 161.50 million | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 157.70 million | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 155.70 million | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 153.70 million | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 153.20 million | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 153.90 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 156.60 million | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 160.20 million | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 167.00 million | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 172.10 million | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 180.80 million | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 189.20 million | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 196.90 million | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 204.30 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 218.00 million | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 234.70 million | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 246.00 million | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 250.50 million | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 260.10 million | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 160.58 million | 153.20 million | 166.70 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 179.90 million | 153.90 million | 218.00 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 247.82 million | 234.70 million | 260.10 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 40.70 million compare
- 5 China 38.50 million compare
- 6 Ethiopia 25.40 million compare
- 7 Kenya 20.40 million compare
- 8 Bangladesh 17.90 million compare
- 9 Indonesia 17.70 million compare
- 10 Tanzania, United Republic of 13.40 million compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 65 and above, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0125 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, female, per capita 0.5015 units per person (2025)
- Population, female, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, male, per capita 0.0041 units per person (2025)
- Population, female, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, per capita 0.0323 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per capita 0.0181 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people who are undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Number of people who are undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa was 260.10 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 260.10 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people who are undernourished recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 153.20 million in 2009.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for number of people who are undernourished?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 42 groups with data for 2023.
- Is number of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.
Download this data
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.