Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Namibia
Namibia: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 20.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment in Namibia, 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 Namibia is 20.1%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Namibia peaked at 27.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2001.
Namibia ranks 24th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15.7% | — |
| 2002 | 16.5% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 17.7% | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 19.9% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +10.6% |
| 2007 | 24.1% | +9.5% |
| 2008 | 26.1% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 27.3% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 22.9% | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 21.2% | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 20.7% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 21.1% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 21.2% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 22.0% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 21.7% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 22.2% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 20.7% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 20.1% | -1.0% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 20.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 1.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 20.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.9% | 15.7% | 27.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 22.6% | 20.7% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.1% | 21.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More health data for Namibia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.75 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6445 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 561 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.83 % 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 0.0644 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.56 % 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 0.0646 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Namibia?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Namibia was 20.1% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 27.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2001.
- How does Namibia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Namibia ranks 24th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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%.