Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in South Asia
South Asia: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 9.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in South Asia, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in South Asia stood at 9.5%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.0% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in South Asia peaked at 20.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 9.5%, in 2024.
South Asia ranks 21st of 47 groups on this measure, 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 17.9% | — |
| 2002 | 19.1% | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 20.4% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 20.3% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 18.4% | -9.2% |
| 2007 | 16.4% | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 15.4% | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 15.2% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 14.6% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 12.8% | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 12.0% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | -11.0% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | +9.4% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 12.5% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 11.0% | -11.8% |
| 2024 | 9.5% | -14.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.2% | 15.2% | 20.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 10.5% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 9.5% | 13.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More health data for South Asia
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.0457 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, per capita 0.022 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, annual growth rate 2.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per capita 0.0182 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate -0.4429 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, annual growth rate 2.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 2.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in South Asia?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in South Asia was 9.5% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.5% in 2024.
- How does South Asia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- South Asia ranks 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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%.