Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in World
World: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 8.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in World, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in World stood at 8.1%.
That represents a change of down 4.7% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in World peaked at 13.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2017.
That places World 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 World, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 13.0% | — |
| 2002 | 13.2% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 12.9% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 12.1% | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | -9.1% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 9.0% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 8.2% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | +8.1% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 8.1% | -4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.5% | 9.0% | 13.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 7.2% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.4% | 8.1% | 8.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in World?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in World was 8.1% in 2024, 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 13.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2017.
- How does World rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- World ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. 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 — 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%.