Prevalence of undernourishment in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Prevalence of undernourishment was 28.7% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Prevalence of undernourishment in Papua New Guinea, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 28.7% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Papua New Guinea peaked at 30.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 26.7%, in 2001.
Papua New Guinea ranks 12th of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 26.7% | — |
| 2002 | 27.4% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 28.1% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 29.0% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 27.9% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 27.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 27.2% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 27.6% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 28.8% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 29.9% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 30.1% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 27.3% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 27.6% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 27.8% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 28.2% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 28.3% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 28.5% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 28.2% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 28.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 27.9% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 28.8% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 28.7% | -0.3% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 28.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.0%, 2.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 28.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.8%, 6.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.8% | 26.7% | 29.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 28.4% | 27.3% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.4% | 27.9% | 28.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More health data for Papua New Guinea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3741 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,127 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,501 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.27 % 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 0.0555 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.2621 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Papua New Guinea?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Papua New Guinea was 28.7% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.7% in 2001.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 12th out of 168 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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 — 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%.