Prevalence of undernourishment in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Prevalence of undernourishment was 12.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 12.7% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2023.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 13.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2016.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12.9% | — |
| 2002 | 13.0% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 11.8% | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 9.9% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 9.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 10.1% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 9.9% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 9.8% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 9.6% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 9.1% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 9.4% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 9.3% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 10.3% | +10.8% |
| 2020 | 10.9% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 12.3% | +13.0% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.3% | 9.9% | 13.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.1% | 10.9% | 12.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More health data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0387 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0337 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0305 units per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 12.7% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2002.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2016.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 — 23 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%.