Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 20.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Least developed countries, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 20.2% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Least developed countries peaked at 30.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 18.9%, in 2014.
Least developed countries ranks 8th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 30.3% | — |
| 2002 | 29.2% | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 28.1% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 26.9% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 25.5% | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 24.1% | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 22.8% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 21.7% | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 21.0% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 20.2% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 19.9% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 19.2% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 18.9% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 19.3% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 19.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 19.6% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 19.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 20.3% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 20.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 20.2% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25.5% | 21.0% | 30.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 18.9% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 19.8% | 20.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0286 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.03 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, annual growth rate 2.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Least developed countries?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Least developed countries was 20.2% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 30.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.9% in 2014.
- How does Least developed countries rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Least developed countries ranks 8th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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%.