Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 22.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 22.3% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2024.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 25.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 2013.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 25.3% | — |
| 2002 | 24.8% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 24.2% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 23.2% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 21.0% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 20.2% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 19.4% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 18.8% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 18.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 17.8% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 18.4% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 18.8% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 19.1% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 19.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 19.8% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 22.1% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 22.3% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.1% | 18.8% | 25.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.6% | 17.8% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.5% | 20.4% | 22.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 3 North Korea 47.0% compare
- 4 Madagascar 41.8% compare
- 5 Zambia 41.0% compare
- 6 Syria 40.8% compare
- 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 39.5% compare
- 8 Liberia 37.3% compare
- 9 Kenya 34.9% compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, annual growth rate 2.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per capita 0.047 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate 3.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0465 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.055 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate 2.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 22.3% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 25.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 2013.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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%.