Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Africa
South Africa: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population was 20.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Africa, 2018–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 20.7% for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in 2023. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
That places South Africa 63rd out of 126 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 17.4% | — |
| 2019 | 18.2% | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 19.0% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 19.2% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 20.7% | +3.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 20.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.7%, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 20.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 59.2%, 35% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 17.8% | 17.4% | 18.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 19.0% | 20.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 60 Republic of Moldova 25.1% compare
- 60 Tajikistan 25.1% compare
- 62 Uzbekistan 24.4% compare
- 64 Mali 20.6% compare
- 65 Mexico 19.3% compare
- 66 Chile 19.2% compare
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Africa?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Africa was 20.7% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- South Africa ranks 63rd out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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 — 6 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.