Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Asia
South Asia: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population was 36.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Asia, 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 South Asia is 36.7%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and up 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Asia peaked at 42.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 2017.
That places South Asia 9th 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 28.3% | — |
| 2015 | 28.0% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 27.7% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 32.8% | +21.2% |
| 2019 | 35.7% | +9.1% |
| 2020 | 42.9% | +20.1% |
| 2021 | 41.2% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 39.3% | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 39.3% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 36.7% | -6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 29.9% | 27.0% | 35.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 39.9% | 36.7% | 42.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More health data for South Asia
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, per capita 0.0146 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 2.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.043 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 4.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, annual growth rate 2.63 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Asia?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population in South Asia was 36.7% 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 Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 2017.
- How does South Asia rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population?
- South Asia ranks 9th out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia 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 — 11 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.