Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population was 7.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean, 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 Latin America & Caribbean is 7.8%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and up 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 11.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 2015.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 15th 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 severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6.3% | — |
| 2015 | 6.0% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | +25.8% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | +30.0% |
| 2021 | 11.5% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 10.2% | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 8.1% | -21.2% |
| 2024 | 7.8% | -3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.0% | 8.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 7.8% | 11.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0359 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 0.903 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0377 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 0.2931 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Latin America & Caribbean was 7.8% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 2015.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 15th out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.