Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 25.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sierra Leone, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 25.3% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024.
That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Sierra Leone peaked at 50.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 21.0%, in 2011.
Sierra Leone ranks 15th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 50.0% | — |
| 2002 | 49.2% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 46.9% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 44.2% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 39.8% | -10.0% |
| 2006 | 35.5% | -10.8% |
| 2007 | 31.2% | -12.1% |
| 2008 | 27.3% | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 24.0% | -12.1% |
| 2010 | 21.7% | -9.6% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 21.1% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 22.8% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 24.6% | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 25.1% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 26.9% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 27.9% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 28.7% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 27.8% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 26.0% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 26.4% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 25.3% | -4.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 25.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 23.6%, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 25.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.8%, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.7% | 24.0% | 50.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 24.2% | 21.0% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.4% | 25.3% | 27.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 12 Central African Republic 29.8% compare
- 13 Afghanistan 27.8% compare
- 14 Solomon Islands 27.0% compare
- 16 Congo 25.0% compare
- 17 Malawi 24.5% compare
- 18 Gabon 23.3% compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,209 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0676 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Sierra Leone?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Sierra Leone was 25.3% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 50.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.0% in 2011.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Sierra Leone ranks 15th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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%.