Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population was 55.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi stood at 55.6%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi peaked at 55.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 47.7%, in 2015.
That places Malawi 2nd out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 47.7% | — |
| 2016 | 48.5% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 49.7% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 48.3% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 49.5% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 51.0% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 52.2% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 53.5% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 55.6% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 48.7% | 47.7% | 49.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 53.1% | 51.0% | 55.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 1 South Sudan 63.1% compare
- 3 Haiti 45.4% compare
- 4 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 42.5% compare
- 5 Liberia 37.1% 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 2.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.036 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 3.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0331 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population in Malawi was 55.6% in 2023, 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 55.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.7% in 2015.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population?
- Malawi ranks 2nd out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 severe food insecurity in the population (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 9 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.