Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) in South Korea
South Korea: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) was 5.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Korea, 2015–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Korea stood at 5.8%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Korea peaked at 5.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2015.
That places South Korea 118th out of 130 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4.8% | — |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 5.7% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 5.8% | +7.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.9%, 65% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.2%, 38% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 5.3% | 5.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 69 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0124 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Korea?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Korea was 5.8% in 2024, 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2015.
- How does South Korea rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- South Korea ranks 118th out of 130 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.