Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) was 81.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi, 2015–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 81.6% for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi peaked at 82.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 78.1%, in 2015.
That places Malawi 5th out of 130 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 78.1% | — |
| 2016 | 79.2% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 80.3% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 78.8% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 79.9% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 81.3% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 82.4% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 81.7% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 81.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 81.6% | -0.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 81.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.8%, 1.3× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 81.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 60.5%, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 79.3% | 78.1% | 80.3% | 5 |
| 2020s | 81.7% | 81.3% | 82.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 2 Sierra Leone 88.1% compare
- 3 Haiti 83.5% compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of Congo 81.7% compare
- 6 Liberia 79.0% compare
- 7 Afghanistan 77.8% compare
- 8 Nigeria 76.5% compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 6,399 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0718 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi was 81.6% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 82.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.1% in 2015.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- Malawi ranks 5th out of 130 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Malawi 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.