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Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Malaysia

Malaysia: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 2.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.5%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
108th
of 171 countries
All-time high
3.8%
in 2009
All-time low
2.5%
in 2001
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Prevalence of undernourishment in Malaysia, 2001–2024

012342001201220242001: 2.5 % of population2002: 2.8 % of population2003: 2.9 % of population2004: 3.1 % of population2005: 3.2 % of population2006: 3.4 % of population2007: 3.6 % of population2008: 3.6 % of population2009: 3.8 % of population2010: 3.5 % of population2011: 3.4 % of population2012: 3.5 % of population2013: 3.7 % of population2014: 3.8 % of population2015: 3.7 % of population2016: 3.3 % of population2017: 3.1 % of population2018: 2.9 % of population2019: 2.8 % of population2020: 2.7 % of population2021: 2.5 % of population2022: 2.5 % of population2023: 2.5 % of population2024: 2.5 % of population

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of undernourishment in Malaysia is 2.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of down 34.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Malaysia peaked at 3.8% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2001.

That places Malaysia 108th 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 Malaysia, year by year

Year % of population Change
2001 2.5% —
2002 2.8% +12.0%
2003 2.9% +3.6%
2004 3.1% +6.9%
2005 3.2% +3.2%
2006 3.4% +6.2%
2007 3.6% +5.9%
2008 3.6% +0.0%
2009 3.8% +5.6%
2010 3.5% -7.9%
2011 3.4% -2.9%
2012 3.5% +2.9%
2013 3.7% +5.7%
2014 3.8% +2.7%
2015 3.7% -2.6%
2016 3.3% -10.8%
2017 3.1% -6.1%
2018 2.9% -6.5%
2019 2.8% -3.4%
2020 2.7% -3.6%
2021 2.5% -7.4%
2022 2.5% +0.0%
2023 2.5% +0.0%
2024 2.5% +0.0%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 2.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.1%, 61% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 2.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.3%, 57% of the median. (26 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.2% 2.5% 3.8% 9
2010s 3.4% 2.8% 3.8% 10
2020s 2.5% 2.5% 2.7% 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 105 Argentina 2.8% compare
  2. 105 Tunisia 2.8% compare
  3. 107 French Polynesia 2.6% compare
  4. 108 Algeria 2.5% compare
  5. 108 Armenia 2.5% compare
  6. 108 Australia 2.5% compare
  7. 108 Austria 2.5% compare
  8. 108 Azerbaijan 2.5% compare
  9. 108 Belarus 2.5% compare
  10. 108 Belgium 2.5% compare
  11. 108 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.5% compare
  12. 108 Brazil 2.5% compare
  13. 108 Bulgaria 2.5% compare
  14. 108 Canada 2.5% compare
  15. 108 Chile 2.5% compare
  16. 108 China 2.5% compare
  17. 108 Costa Rica 2.5% compare
  18. 108 Croatia 2.5% compare
  19. 108 Cyprus 2.5% compare
  20. 108 Czechia 2.5% compare
  21. 108 Denmark 2.5% compare
  22. 108 Dominican Republic 2.5% compare
  23. 108 Estonia 2.5% compare
  24. 108 Finland 2.5% compare
  25. 108 France 2.5% compare
  26. 108 Georgia 2.5% compare
  27. 108 Germany 2.5% compare
  28. 108 Greece 2.5% compare
  29. 108 Guyana 2.5% compare
  30. 108 Hungary 2.5% compare
  31. 108 Iceland 2.5% compare
  32. 108 Ireland 2.5% compare
  33. 108 Israel 2.5% compare
  34. 108 Italy 2.5% compare
  35. 108 Kazakhstan 2.5% compare
  36. 108 South Korea 2.5% compare
  37. 108 Kuwait 2.5% compare
  38. 108 Latvia 2.5% compare
  39. 108 Lithuania 2.5% compare
  40. 108 Luxembourg 2.5% compare
  41. 108 Malta 2.5% compare
  42. 108 Moldova 2.5% compare
  43. 108 Mongolia 2.5% compare
  44. 108 Montenegro 2.5% compare
  45. 108 Netherlands 2.5% compare
  46. 108 New Zealand 2.5% compare
  47. 108 North Macedonia 2.5% compare
  48. 108 Norway 2.5% compare
  49. 108 Poland 2.5% compare
  50. 108 Portugal 2.5% compare
  51. 108 Romania 2.5% compare
  52. 108 Russia 2.5% compare
  53. 108 Saudi Arabia 2.5% compare
  54. 108 Serbia 2.5% compare
  55. 108 Seychelles 2.5% compare
  56. 108 Slovenia 2.5% compare
  57. 108 Spain 2.5% compare
  58. 108 Sweden 2.5% compare
  59. 108 Switzerland 2.5% compare
  60. 108 Turkey 2.5% compare
  61. 108 United Arab Emirates 2.5% compare
  62. 108 United Kingdom 2.5% compare
  63. 108 United States 2.5% compare
  64. 108 Uruguay 2.5% compare
  65. 108 Uzbekistan 2.5% compare
  66. 108 Japan 2.5% compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More health data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of undernourishment in Malaysia?
Prevalence of undernourishment in Malaysia was 2.5% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2009.
What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2001.
How does Malaysia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
Malaysia ranks 108th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 34.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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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Prevalence of undernourishment in Malaysia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-undernourishment-percent-of-population/malaysia/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population)
Unit
% of population
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
218 places, 5,187 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

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%.