Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population was 25.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean, 2014–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean is 25.2%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 5.6% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 33.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 22.0%, in 2014.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 14th out of 23 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 22.0% | — |
| 2015 | 23.7% | +7.8% |
| 2016 | 27.5% | +15.7% |
| 2017 | 29.2% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 27.4% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 28.0% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 33.7% | +20.4% |
| 2021 | 33.4% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 30.0% | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 26.7% | -11.2% |
| 2024 | 25.2% | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 26.3% | 22.0% | 29.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 29.8% | 25.2% | 33.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 11 Madagascar 72.6% compare
- 12 Zimbabwe 68.8% compare
- 13 Chad 66.3% compare
- 13 Mauritania 66.3% compare
- 15 Benin 65.6% compare
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 62.5% compare
- 17 Ethiopia 61.4% compare
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.033 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean was 25.2% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 33.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.0% in 2014.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 14th out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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
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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.