Prevalence of undernourishment in World
World: Prevalence of undernourishment was 8.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in World, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of undernourishment in World stood at 8.5%.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in World peaked at 12.9% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2018.
That places World 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in World, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12.8% | — |
| 2002 | 12.9% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 12.4% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 11.9% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | -7.6% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 9.5% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 9.1% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 7.8% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 7.6% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 7.4% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 7.8% | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.4% | 9.1% | 12.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 7.3% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.5% | 8.2% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
- 24 Malawi 21.4% compare
- 25 Tanzania, United Republic of 20.2% compare
- 26 Solomon Islands 20.0% compare
- 27 Nigeria 19.9% compare
- 28 Ethiopia 19.7% compare
- 28 Zimbabwe 19.7% compare
- 30 Timor-Leste 18.7% compare
More health data for World
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate -0.8618 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0354 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate -0.7558 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0374 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, annual growth rate 1.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0356 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.67 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in World?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in World was 8.5% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 2002.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2018.
- How does World rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- World ranks 27th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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%.