Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population was 24.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 2014–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 24.8% for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 25.3% over five years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 33.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 24.8%, in 2024.
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 15th of 23 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 21.3% | — |
| 2015 | 23.2% | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 26.9% | +16.2% |
| 2017 | 28.7% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 26.9% | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 27.6% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 33.2% | +20.5% |
| 2021 | 33.1% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | -10.5% |
| 2023 | 26.3% | -11.4% |
| 2024 | 24.8% | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 25.8% | 21.3% | 28.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 29.4% | 24.8% | 33.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 12 Zimbabwe 68.8%
- 13 Chad 66.3%
- 13 Mauritania 66.3%
- 15 Benin 65.6%
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 62.5%
- 17 Ethiopia 61.4%
- 18 Cameroon 61.2%
More health data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0311 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per capita 0.0384 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.93 % 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 10-14, male, annual growth rate -0.308 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.036 units per person (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 24.8% 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 33.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.8% in 2024.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 15th out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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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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.