Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 22.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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 Sub-Saharan Africa is 22.3%, measured 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 peaked at 25.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 2013.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th of 47 groups on this measure, 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, 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
- 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
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0282 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0287 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0016 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 25.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 2013.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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%.