Prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Prevalence of undernourishment was 28.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 28.1% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 44.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan peaked at 45.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 17.6%, in 2009.
Afghanistan ranks 13th of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 45.8% | — |
| 2002 | 43.5% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 38.7% | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 34.6% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 30.6% | -11.6% |
| 2006 | 26.6% | -13.1% |
| 2007 | 22.7% | -14.7% |
| 2008 | 19.7% | -13.2% |
| 2009 | 17.6% | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 17.7% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 18.6% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 19.4% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 19.9% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 20.4% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 22.6% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 25.1% | +11.1% |
| 2020 | 27.5% | +9.6% |
| 2021 | 28.8% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 28.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 28.1% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.1% | 17.6% | 45.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 17.7% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.3% | 27.5% | 28.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More health data for Afghanistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.45 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 812.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 14,735 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 19 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan was 28.1% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 45.8% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 2009.
- How does Afghanistan rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Afghanistan ranks 13th out of 168 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of undernourishment is the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. Data showing as 2.5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 2.5%.