Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 39.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of Congo is 39.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 39.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 26.8%, in 2001.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 26.8% | — |
| 2002 | 27.2% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 27.2% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 27.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 27.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 27.4% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 27.6% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 27.7% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 28.8% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 29.6% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 31.4% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 32.0% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 31.6% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 31.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 32.8% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 34.0% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 34.4% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 34.0% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 34.4% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 34.0% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 35.5% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 37.5% | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 39.4% | +5.1% |
| 2024 | 39.5% | +0.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 39.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 23.6%, 1.7× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 39.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 2.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.5% | 26.8% | 28.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 29.6% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.2% | 34.0% | 39.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % 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 133,650 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0905 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of Congo was 39.5% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 39.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.8% in 2001.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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%.