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Undernourishment by country

What share of people do not get enough food to live a normal, active life?

Of the 165 countries compared in 2023, 62 countries shared the lowest reading, 2.5%, and Haiti had the highest reading, 54.2%. In the middle country the figure was 5.2%. Among the 164 countries measured in every edition since 2001, the middle one moved from 9.3% to 5.2%.

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Part ofHealth & WellbeingFood & Agriculture

Undernourishment · 2023

Context statistic

62 countries share the lowest value, 2.5% — no single country is named first.

012023 · position · derived

Who leads

The three countries at the lowest end of 165 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.

Lowest in 2023 · shared

62 countries share the lowest reading, 2.5%

No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.

Highest in 2023

  1. Haiti54.2%
  2. Somalia53.2%
  3. Madagascar39.5%

Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.

Lowest on each continent

02Every measured country

Undernourishment on a map

Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.

All regions

Darker is a lower value — the better end.

  • 16.8–54.2%
  • 7.0–16.5%
  • 3.1–6.9%
  • 2.5–3.0%
  • No reading in 2023 (4 measured in an earlier edition)
  • Europe

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members

    36 share 2.5%

    Ukraine6.9%

    Lowest and highest reading in Europe.

  • Oceania

    4.5%

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 21 members

    2 share 2.5%

    Papua New Guinea28.7%

    Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.

  • Asia

    5.1%

    the middle country, of 39 measured · 52 members

    15 share 2.5%

    Syria39.0%

    Lowest and highest reading in Asia.

  • Americas

    5.5%

    the middle country, of 28 measured · 48 members

    7 share 2.5%

    Haiti54.2%

    Lowest and highest reading in Americas.

  • Africa

    17.4%

    the middle country, of 49 measured · 55 members

    2 share 2.5%

    Somalia53.2%

    Lowest and highest reading in Africa.

22 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
  • Eastern Asia

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members

    3 share 2.5%

    Macau11.2%

    Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.

  • Eastern Europe

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members

    8 share 2.5%

    Ukraine6.9%

    Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.

  • Northern Europe

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members

    10 share 2.5%

    10 share 2.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.

  • Southern Europe

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members

    11 share 2.5%

    Albania5.4%

    Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.

  • Western Asia

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 14 measured · 19 members

    9 share 2.5%

    Syria39.0%

    Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.

  • Western Europe

    2.5%

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members

    7 share 2.5%

    7 share 2.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.

  • Central Asia

    4.3%

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    2 share 2.5%

    Tajikistan8.4%

    Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.

  • South America

    4.6%

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members

    4 share 2.5%

    Bolivia21.8%

    Lowest and highest reading in South America.

  • South-eastern Asia

    5.3%

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members

    Malaysia2.5%

    Timor-Leste18.7%

    Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.

  • Caribbean

    6.1%

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 24 members

    2 share 3.6%

    Haiti54.2%

    Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.

  • Central America

    6.7%

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members

    Costa Rica2.5%

    Honduras14.8%

    Lowest and highest reading in Central America.

  • Northern Africa

    7.0%

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members

    Algeria2.5%

    Libya16.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.

  • Melanesia

    7.2%

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    New Caledonia4.9%

    Papua New Guinea28.7%

    Lowest and highest reading in Melanesia.

  • Southern Asia

    10.4%

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members

    Nepal5.3%

    Afghanistan28.1%

    Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.

  • Western Africa

    13.0%

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members

    Senegal5.1%

    Liberia35.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.

  • Eastern Africa

    21.6%

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members

    Seychelles2.5%

    Somalia53.2%

    Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.

  • Middle Africa

    25.9%

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members

    Cameroon4.8%

    DR Congo38.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Middle Africa.

  • Australia and New Zealand

    2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    2 share 2.5%

    2 share 2.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Micronesia

    1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati.

    Kiribati4.1%

    Lowest and highest reading in Micronesia.

  • Northern America

    2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.

    2 share 2.5%

    2 share 2.5%

    Lowest and highest reading in Northern America.

  • Polynesia

    2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: French Polynesia, Samoa.

    Samoa3.6%

    French Polynesia3.8%

    Lowest and highest reading in Polynesia.

  • Southern Africa

    4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa.

    South Africa10.0%

    Botswana24.0%

    Lowest and highest reading in Southern Africa.

03The whole field at once

The spread

165 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 5.2%; a quarter are above 13.5%, and a quarter below 2.5%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.

10%20%30%40%50%Africa49 comparedSomalia: 53.2%Madagascar: 39.5%DR Congo: 38.5%Zambia: 37.2%Kenya: 36.8%Liberia: 35.5%Chad: 32.0%Central African Republic: 29.8%Republic of the Congo: 26.4%Gabon: 25.3%Rwanda: 24.4%Sierra Leone: 24.1%Botswana: 24.0%Angola: 22.5%South Sudan: 22.3%Guinea-Bissau: 22.1%Uganda: 22.0%Mozambique: 21.8%Malawi: 21.4%Tanzania: 20.2%Nigeria: 19.9%Ethiopia: 19.7%Zimbabwe: 19.7%Namibia: 18.1%São Tomé and Príncipe: 17.4%Gambia: 16.8%Libya: 16.5%Comoros: 15.4%Eswatini: 14.7%Benin: 14.3%Cabo Verde: 13.5%Burkina Faso: 13.1%Djibouti: 12.9%Niger: 12.9%Mali: 12.3%Guinea: 11.4%Côte d’Ivoire: 11.1%South Africa: 10.0%Egypt: 9.4%Togo: 9.1%Mauritania: 8.7%Mauritius: 8.7%Morocco: 7.0%Ghana: 6.3%Senegal: 5.1%Cameroon: 4.8%Tunisia: 3.0%Algeria: 2.5%Seychelles: 2.5%Algeria 2.5%Somalia 53.2%Americas28 comparedHaiti: 54.2%Bolivia: 21.8%Honduras: 14.8%Ecuador: 12.1%Guatemala: 11.8%Trinidad and Tobago: 11.2%Suriname: 9.7%Jamaica: 7.7%Belize: 7.0%Peru: 6.9%El Salvador: 6.7%Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 6.1%Venezuela: 5.9%Panama: 5.7%Paraguay: 5.2%Barbados: 4.4%Colombia: 3.9%Dominica: 3.6%Dominican Republic: 3.6%Argentina: 3.4%Mexico: 2.7%Brazil: 2.5%Canada: 2.5%Chile: 2.5%Costa Rica: 2.5%Guyana: 2.5%United States: 2.5%Uruguay: 2.5%Brazil 2.5%Haiti 54.2%Asia39 comparedSyria: 39.0%Afghanistan: 28.1%Timor-Leste: 18.7%Pakistan: 16.5%Iraq: 14.9%Jordan: 14.3%India: 12.0%Macau: 11.2%Bangladesh: 10.4%Lebanon: 8.7%Tajikistan: 8.4%Sri Lanka: 7.4%Iran: 6.8%Indonesia: 6.3%Oman: 5.9%Myanmar: 5.4%Nepal: 5.3%Vietnam: 5.3%Cambodia: 5.2%Kyrgyzstan: 5.1%Thailand: 4.6%Turkmenistan: 4.3%Hong Kong: 3.1%Philippines: 3.0%Armenia: 2.5%Azerbaijan: 2.5%China: 2.5%Cyprus: 2.5%Georgia: 2.5%Israel: 2.5%Kazakhstan: 2.5%Kuwait: 2.5%Malaysia: 2.5%Mongolia: 2.5%Saudi Arabia: 2.5%South Korea: 2.5%Türkiye: 2.5%United Arab Emirates: 2.5%Uzbekistan: 2.5%Armenia 2.5%Syria 39.0%Europe39 comparedUkraine: 6.9%Albania: 5.4%Slovakia: 3.1%Austria: 2.5%Belarus: 2.5%Belgium: 2.5%Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2.5%Bulgaria: 2.5%Croatia: 2.5%Czechia: 2.5%Denmark: 2.5%Estonia: 2.5%Finland: 2.5%France: 2.5%Germany: 2.5%Greece: 2.5%Hungary: 2.5%Iceland: 2.5%Ireland: 2.5%Italy: 2.5%Latvia: 2.5%Lithuania: 2.5%Luxembourg: 2.5%Malta: 2.5%Moldova: 2.5%Montenegro: 2.5%Netherlands: 2.5%North Macedonia: 2.5%Norway: 2.5%Poland: 2.5%Portugal: 2.5%Romania: 2.5%Russia: 2.5%Serbia: 2.5%Slovenia: 2.5%Spain: 2.5%Sweden: 2.5%Switzerland: 2.5%United Kingdom: 2.5%Austria 2.5% · Ukraine 6.9%Oceania10 comparedPapua New Guinea: 28.7%Solomon Islands: 20.0%Vanuatu: 7.2%Fiji: 6.8%New Caledonia: 4.9%Kiribati: 4.1%French Polynesia: 3.8%Samoa: 3.6%Australia: 2.5%New Zealand: 2.5%Australia 2.5%Papua New Guinea 28.7%middle country 5.2%

04All 169 ever measured

Every country

In order, highest value first — position 1 is the highest value, the way FAO’s own tables read. “=” marks a position shared with another country. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. The FAO floors its published figure at 2.5%, so the countries sitting exactly on 2.5 are not really tied — that is the publisher declining to distinguish below its own margin of error. The bottom of the table is a 62-way tie for the same reason: the FAO writes “<2.5” instead of a number. The information is at the top.

The raw table

Showing 25 of 169 countries

  1. 1 of 165HaitiCaribbean54.2%
  2. 2 of 165SomaliaEastern Africa53.2%
  3. 3 of 165MadagascarEastern Africa39.5%
  4. 4 of 165SyriaWestern Asia39.0%
  5. 5 of 165DR CongoMiddle Africa38.5%
  6. 6 of 165ZambiaEastern Africa37.2%
  7. 7 of 165KenyaEastern Africa36.8%
  8. 8 of 165LiberiaWestern Africa35.5%
  9. 9 of 165ChadMiddle Africa32.0%
  10. 10 of 165Central African RepublicMiddle Africa29.8%
  11. 11 of 165Papua New GuineaMelanesia28.7%
  12. 12 of 165AfghanistanSouthern Asia28.1%
  13. 13 of 165Republic of the CongoMiddle Africa26.4%
  14. 14 of 165GabonMiddle Africa25.3%
  15. 15 of 165RwandaEastern Africa24.4%
  16. 16 of 165Sierra LeoneWestern Africa24.1%
  17. 17 of 165BotswanaSouthern Africa24.0%
  18. 18 of 165AngolaMiddle Africa22.5%
  19. 19 of 165South SudanEastern Africa22.3%
  20. 20 of 165Guinea-BissauWestern Africa22.1%
  21. 21 of 165UgandaEastern Africa22.0%
  22. =22 of 165BoliviaSouth America21.8%
  23. =22 of 165MozambiqueEastern Africa21.8%
  24. 24 of 165MalawiEastern Africa21.4%
  25. 25 of 165TanzaniaEastern Africa20.2%

Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.

052001–2023 · 23 editions

Over time

Each point is one reference year from 2001.

5%10%15%20%200120042007201020132016201920222023AfricaAmericasAsiaOceaniaEurope
  • the middle country
  • the middle half of countries
  • the middle of the 164 countries measured every time
  • each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
YearCountriesMiddle countryMiddle halfMeasured every time
20231655.2%2.5% – 13.5%5.2%
20221665.3%2.5% – 13.5%5.2%
20211675.3%2.5% – 13.9%5.3%
20201675.3%2.5% – 13.6%5.2%
20191665.4%2.5% – 13.1%5.2%
20181675.5%2.5% – 12.8%5.4%
20171675.8%2.5% – 13.3%5.7%
20161675.9%2.5% – 13.6%5.9%
20151676.1%2.5% – 13.6%5.7%
20141675.9%2.5% – 13.6%5.8%
20131676.1%2.5% – 14.0%6.1%
20121666.3%2.5% – 14.2%6.0%
20111666.2%2.5% – 14.8%6.1%
20101665.9%2.5% – 14.8%5.6%
20091666.2%2.5% – 15.0%6.0%
20081666.4%2.5% – 15.4%6.2%
20071667.1%2.5% – 16.4%6.6%
20061676.9%2.6% – 16.9%6.8%
20051677.4%2.7% – 17.6%7.4%
20041678.2%2.8% – 18.3%8.2%
20031678.6%3.0% – 19.4%8.6%
20021679.0%3.3% – 20.4%9.0%
20011679.4%3.3% – 20.8%9.3%

062022 → 2023

Who rose and fell

The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.

Improved most

before → after
  1. Rwanda26.6% → 24.4% · 14th → 15th−2.2
  2. Uganda24.2% → 22.0% · 16th → 21st−2.2
  3. Solomon Islands22.0% → 20.0% · 20th → 26th−2.0
  4. Togo11.1% → 9.1% · 51st → 58th−2.0
  5. Zimbabwe21.4% → 19.7% · 24th → 28th−1.7

Worsened most

before → after
  1. Haiti51.1% → 54.2% · 2nd → 1st+3.1
  2. Syria35.9% → 39.0% · 7th → 4th+3.1
  3. Mali9.9% → 12.3% · 57th → 46th+2.4
  4. Gabon23.5% → 25.3% · 17th → 14th+1.8
  5. Eswatini13.1% → 14.7% · 44th → 39th+1.6

165 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023. The field changed from 166 to 165 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.

07Across every edition

Undernourishment in records

The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.

08The measure

About undernourishment

The FAO’s prevalence of undernourishment estimates the share of a population whose habitual food intake is too low to sustain a normal, active life. It is calculated from a country’s food supply rather than asked of its people, and it is the oldest and most widely used hunger measure there is.

What the number is: Population undernourished (%).

09Where it fits

Connections

Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.

All statistics

In the Country Index

Context, with no vote

This statistic is published in full under Health & Wellbeing and Food & Agriculture, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.

Health & WellbeingFood & AgricultureWhich statistics vote, and why

Moves with

Where undernourishment is higher, these tend to be higher too.

Moves against

Where undernourishment is higher, these tend to be lower.

Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 373 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.

On the same subject

10Analysis

Charts and analysis on undernourishment

All charts

11Keep reading

Explore further

The countries at either end

More from FAO

12Questions

Undernourishment: questions and answers

Which country has the lowest undernourishment?

62 countries share the lowest reading, 2.5%, among the 165 compared in 2023, so no single country is named.

Which country has the highest undernourishment?

Haiti, at 54.2%, among the 165 countries compared in 2023.

How many countries does the Prevalence of Undernourishment cover?

165 in 2023, and 169 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 165 to 167 between editions.

What is the world average undernourishment?

This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 165 compared in 2023, the figure was 5.2%.

Is this Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s own ranking?

No. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.

How often is the Prevalence of Undernourishment published?

This site holds 23 editions, describing 2001 to 2023.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

From Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under CC BY 4.0. Produced by the FAO and pulled through the World Bank’s indicator API (SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS). Read it beside severe food insecurity, which asks people directly and will not agree. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.

13Method

Sources, method and citation

Source

Prevalence of Undernourishment — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Produced by the FAO and pulled through the World Bank’s indicator API (SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS). Read it beside severe food insecurity, which asks people directly and will not agree.

Newest edition

Report year 2023Data year 2023

Cite the source as: FAO. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-05.

The full 2023 table, row for row

How this page reads the numbers

  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
  • Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
  • A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
  • Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.

The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Undernourishment by country: Prevalence of Undernourishment, data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/undernourishment

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