Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Botswana
Botswana: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 18.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Botswana, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in Botswana stood at 18.2%.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Botswana peaked at 29.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 18.1%, in 2023.
Botswana ranks 32nd of 171 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 28.1% | — |
| 2002 | 28.5% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 29.5% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 28.5% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 26.9% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 25.3% | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 23.9% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 22.5% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 21.2% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 20.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 20.7% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 20.8% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 20.5% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 20.3% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 20.1% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 20.7% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 20.9% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 21.3% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 20.6% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 19.6% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 19.0% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 18.1% | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 18.2% | +0.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 18.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.1%, 4.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 18.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 97% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.0% | 21.2% | 29.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 20.6% | 20.1% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 18.1% | 20.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More health data for Botswana
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.75 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2265 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 281 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6484 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0579 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9109 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0591 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Botswana?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Botswana was 18.2% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 29.5% in 2003.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.1% in 2023.
- How does Botswana rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Botswana ranks 32nd out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana 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 — 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%.