Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 27.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 27.8% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.4% on the previous year and up 44.0% 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 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) 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 | 20.5% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 21.5% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 24.9% | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 28.9% | +16.1% |
| 2021 | 31.0% | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 32.0% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 29.7% | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 27.8% | -6.4% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 27.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 23.6%, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 27.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 7.1%, 3.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.1% | 17.6% | 45.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 17.7% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.9% | 27.8% | 32.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 10 Chad 33.6% compare
- 11 Papua New Guinea 30.5% compare
- 12 Central African Republic 29.8% compare
- 14 Solomon Islands 27.0% compare
- 15 Sierra Leone 25.3% compare
- 16 Congo 25.0% compare
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 14,735 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0804 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Afghanistan was 27.8% in 2024, 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 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.0%. 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.
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CSV · JSON — 24 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%.