Number of people who are undernourished in Zambia

Zambia: Number of people who are undernourished was 7.70 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
7.70 million
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
19th
of 130 countries
All-time high
7.70 million
in 2023
All-time low
5.20 million
in 2001
Years of data
23
2001–2023

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

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M2001201220232001: 5.2M2002: 5.3M2003: 5.5M2004: 5.6M2005: 5.8M2006: 5.8M2007: 5.9M2008: 5.9M2009: 6.1M2010: 6.1M2011: 6.2M2012: 6.1M2013: 6.0M2014: 5.9M2015: 5.8M2016: 5.7M2017: 5.5M2018: 5.7M2019: 5.9M2020: 6.5M2021: 7.0M2022: 7.3M2023: 7.7M

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people who are undernourished in Zambia is 7.70 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people who are undernourished in Zambia peaked at 7.70 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.20 million, in 2001.

That places Zambia 19th 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 Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Number of people who are undernourished in Zambia, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 5.20 million
2002 5.30 million +1.9%
2003 5.50 million +3.8%
2004 5.60 million +1.8%
2005 5.80 million +3.6%
2006 5.80 million +0.0%
2007 5.90 million +1.7%
2008 5.90 million +0.0%
2009 6.10 million +3.4%
2010 6.10 million +0.0%
2011 6.20 million +1.6%
2012 6.10 million -1.6%
2013 6.00 million -1.6%
2014 5.90 million -1.7%
2015 5.80 million -1.7%
2016 5.70 million -1.7%
2017 5.50 million -3.5%
2018 5.70 million +3.6%
2019 5.90 million +3.5%
2020 6.50 million +10.2%
2021 7.00 million +7.7%
2022 7.30 million +4.3%
2023 7.70 million +5.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.68 million 5.20 million 6.10 million 9
2010s 5.89 million 5.50 million 6.20 million 10
2020s 7.12 million 6.50 million 7.70 million 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 16 Somalia 9.80 million compare
  2. 17 Syrian Arab Republic 9.20 million compare
  3. 18 Angola 8.30 million compare
  4. 20 Mozambique 7.30 million compare
  5. 21 Brazil 6.70 million compare
  6. 21 Iraq 6.70 million compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More health data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people who are undernourished in Zambia?
Number of people who are undernourished in Zambia was 7.70 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 7.70 million in 2023.
What is the lowest number of people who are undernourished recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 5.20 million in 2001.
How does Zambia rank for number of people who are undernourished?
Zambia ranks 19th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zambia 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 Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-who-are-undernourished/zambia/

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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.