Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Congo
Congo: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 25.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Congo, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Congo recorded 25.0% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Congo peaked at 39.3% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 25.0%, in 2024.
That places Congo 16th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Congo, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 26.3% | — |
| 2002 | 25.9% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 26.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 28.4% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 30.5% | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 32.6% | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 34.9% | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 37.1% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 39.3% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 30.2% | -14.0% |
| 2014 | 27.8% | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 28.1% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 28.6% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 28.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 28.5% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 27.0% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 25.8% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 25.6% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 25.0% | -2.3% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 25.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 2.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Congo's 25.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.9% | 25.9% | 37.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 31.3% | 27.8% | 39.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 25.0% | 27.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 13 Afghanistan 27.8% compare
- 14 Solomon Islands 27.0% compare
- 15 Sierra Leone 25.3% compare
- 17 Malawi 24.5% compare
- 18 Gabon 23.3% compare
- 19 Sao Tome and Principe 23.0% compare
More health data for Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.4813 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9705 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 2,688 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 11 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.44 % 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 0.0695 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.45 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Congo?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Congo was 25.0% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 39.3% in 2010.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.0% in 2024.
- How does Congo rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Congo ranks 16th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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%.