Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Gambia
Gambia: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 17.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment in Gambia, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 17.5% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024.
That represents a change of down 5.4% on the previous year and up 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Gambia peaked at 20.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2011.
That places Gambia 33rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 16.9% | — |
| 2002 | 18.9% | +11.8% |
| 2003 | 19.9% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 17.6% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | -11.9% |
| 2007 | 13.7% | -11.6% |
| 2008 | 12.0% | -12.4% |
| 2009 | 10.4% | -13.3% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | -9.6% |
| 2011 | 9.1% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 9.6% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +10.5% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 13.0% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 14.6% | +12.3% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 18.1% | +12.4% |
| 2020 | 19.5% | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 20.3% | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 20.2% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 18.5% | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 17.5% | -5.4% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 17.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 23.6%, 74% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 17.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 93% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.0% | 10.4% | 19.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 9.1% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.2% | 17.5% | 20.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More health data for Gambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 700 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9696 % 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 0.0686 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9636 % 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 0.0702 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Gambia?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Gambia was 17.5% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2011.
- How does Gambia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Gambia ranks 33rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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%.