Number of people who are undernourished in World

World: Number of people who are undernourished was 685.60 million in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
685.60 million
Change on year
down 1.2%
Rank
1st
of 40 groups
All-time high
820.50 million
in 2003
All-time low
562.40 million
in 2017
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Number of people who are undernourished in World, 2001–2023

0200.0M400.0M600.0M800.0M2001201220232001: 803.0M2002: 815.2M2003: 820.5M2004: 808.4M2005: 780.4M2006: 731.8M2007: 682.1M2008: 647.5M2009: 627.5M2010: 609.2M2011: 594.1M2012: 581.1M2013: 570.3M2014: 567.9M2015: 568.7M2016: 566.6M2017: 562.4M2018: 565.1M2019: 606.4M2020: 650.6M2021: 687.6M2022: 693.7M2023: 685.6M

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home).

Analysis

World recorded 685.60 million for number of people who are undernourished in 2023.

That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 20.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people who are undernourished in World peaked at 820.50 million in 2003 and was at its lowest, 562.40 million, in 2017.

That places World 1st out of 40 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Number of people who are undernourished in World, year by year

Annual values for Number of people who are undernourished in World, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 803.00 million
2002 815.20 million +1.5%
2003 820.50 million +0.7%
2004 808.40 million -1.5%
2005 780.40 million -3.5%
2006 731.80 million -6.2%
2007 682.10 million -6.8%
2008 647.50 million -5.1%
2009 627.50 million -3.1%
2010 609.20 million -2.9%
2011 594.10 million -2.5%
2012 581.10 million -2.2%
2013 570.30 million -1.9%
2014 567.90 million -0.4%
2015 568.70 million +0.1%
2016 566.60 million -0.4%
2017 562.40 million -0.7%
2018 565.10 million +0.5%
2019 606.40 million +7.3%
2020 650.60 million +7.3%
2021 687.60 million +5.7%
2022 693.70 million +0.9%
2023 685.60 million -1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 746.27 million 627.50 million 820.50 million 9
2010s 579.18 million 562.40 million 609.20 million 10
2020s 679.38 million 650.60 million 693.70 million 4

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 India 172.10 million compare
  2. 2 Nigeria 45.40 million compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 40.90 million compare
  4. 4 Democratic Republic of Congo 40.70 million compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More health data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people who are undernourished in World?
Number of people who are undernourished in World was 685.60 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 820.50 million in 2003.
What is the lowest number of people who are undernourished recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 562.40 million in 2017.
How does World rank for number of people who are undernourished?
World ranks 1st out of 40 groups with data for 2023.
Is number of people who are undernourished rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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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Number of people who are undernourished in World. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-who-are-undernourished/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people who are undernourished
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
172 places, 3,649 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

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.