Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 5.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) stood at 5.2%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 10.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 2024.
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 30th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 10.6% | — |
| 2002 | 10.4% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 10.1% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 9.4% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 8.8% | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 8.1% | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 7.4% | -7.9% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 5.9% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 5.3% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 5.9% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 5.5% | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 5.2% | -4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.7% | 6.6% | 10.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 5.3% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.2% | 6.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per capita 0.0404 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, male, annual growth rate 0.2145 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per capita 0.0395 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, annual growth rate 0.0125 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.036 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0393 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate -0.4312 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.07 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 5.2% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 10.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 2024.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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%.