Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population was 26.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern, 2014–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern is 26.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 26.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2014.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 2nd out of 23 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 21.3% | — |
| 2015 | 21.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 23.8% | +11.1% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 24.0% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 25.4% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 26.1% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.0% | 21.3% | 24.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 26.0% | 25.4% | 26.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
- 1 South Sudan 63.1% compare
- 2 Malawi 55.6% compare
- 3 Haiti 45.4% compare
- 4 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 42.5% compare
- 5 Liberia 37.1% compare
More health data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- 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 4.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0196 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 3.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0232 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 0.0284 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Africa Eastern and Southern was 26.1% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2014.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 2nd out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Prevalence of 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 severely food insecure. A household is classified as severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to several of the most severe experiences described in the FIES questions, such as to have been forced to reduce the quantity of the food, to have skipped meals, having gone hungry, or having to go for a whole day without eating because of a lack of money or other resources.