Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in India
India: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 9.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in India, 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 India is 9.8%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.8% on the previous year and down 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in India peaked at 21.7% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2024.
That places India 61st out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in India, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 18.1% | — |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 21.2% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 21.1% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 18.9% | -10.4% |
| 2007 | 16.6% | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 15.3% | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 14.6% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 14.3% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 13.2% | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 12.0% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 10.6% | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | +12.4% |
| 2020 | 13.2% | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 13.9% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 13.2% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 11.5% | -12.9% |
| 2024 | 9.8% | -14.8% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 9.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 88% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.6% | 15.0% | 21.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 10.5% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 9.8% | 13.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 44,822 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % 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 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % 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 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in India?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in India was 9.8% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2004.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2024.
- How does India rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- India ranks 61st out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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%.