Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador

El Salvador: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population was 45.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
45.5%
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
29th
of 126 countries
All-time high
48.4%
in 2021
All-time low
41.6%
in 2016
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador, 2015–2023

010203040502015201920232015: 42.2 %2016: 41.6 %2017: 41.6 %2018: 42.2 %2019: 45.1 %2020: 46.5 %2021: 48.4 %2022: 46.9 %2023: 45.5 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.

Analysis

El Salvador recorded 45.5% for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador peaked at 48.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 41.6%, in 2016.

El Salvador ranks 29th of 126 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) in El Salvador, 2015 to 2023.
Year % Change
2015 42.2%
2016 41.6% -1.4%
2017 41.6% +0.0%
2018 42.2% +1.4%
2019 45.1% +6.9%
2020 46.5% +3.1%
2021 48.4% +4.1%
2022 46.9% -3.1%
2023 45.5% -3.0%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 45.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.7%, 2.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 45.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 33.3%, 1.4× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 42.5% 41.6% 45.1% 5
2020s 46.8% 45.5% 48.4% 4

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 26 Botswana 53.9% compare
  2. 27 Niger 50.9% compare
  3. 28 Guatemala 48.8% compare
  4. 30 Zambia 45.3% compare
  5. 31 Ghana 44.5% compare
  6. 32 Dominican Republic 43.8% compare

See the full ranking of 149 places →

More health data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador?
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador was 45.5% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 48.4% in 2021.
What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 41.6% in 2016.
How does El Salvador rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
El Salvador ranks 29th out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-moderate-or-severe-food-insecurity-in-the-population-percent/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%)
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
149 places, 1,304 data points, 2014–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as moderately or severely food insecure. A household is classified as moderately or severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to low quality diets and might have been forced to also reduce the quantity of food they would normally eat because of a lack of money or other resources.