Prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World
Arab World: Prevalence of undernourishment was 12.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World is 12.1%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.0% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World peaked at 12.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 2011.
Arab World ranks 17th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 9.9% | — |
| 2002 | 9.7% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 9.7% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 9.6% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 9.4% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 8.9% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 8.6% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 8.6% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 8.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 9.2% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 9.5% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 9.6% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 10.0% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 11.1% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 12.1% | +3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.3% | 8.6% | 9.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 8.6% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.4% | 10.5% | 12.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More health data for Arab World
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per capita 0.0206 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.0472 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 3.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Arab World was 12.1% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 2011.
- How does Arab World rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Arab World ranks 17th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World 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%.