Cameroon vs South Africa: Number of people who are severely food insecure
Cameroon
7.00 million people
in 2023
South Africa
5.40 million people
in 2023
Cameroon rank
13th
South Africa rank
16th
Number of people who are severely food insecure over time
- Cameroon
- South Africa
How they compare
Cameroon currently reports 7.00 million people against 5.40 million people in South Africa, a difference of 1.60 million people.
That makes Cameroon's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
Across all 6 years both countries report, Cameroon has been ahead every year.
Cameroon ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 16th of 118 countries.
Cameroon has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Cameroon | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.00 million people | 4.25 million people | 2.75 million people | Cameroon |
| 2020s | 7.05 million people | 5.17 million people | 1.88 million people | Cameroon |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people who are severely food insecure, Cameroon or South Africa?
- Cameroon, at 7.00 million people against 5.40 million people in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of people who are severely food insecure between Cameroon and South Africa?
- 1.60 million people, with Cameroon ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Cameroon and South Africa?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 2018 to 2023.
- How do Cameroon and South Africa rank globally for number of people who are severely food insecure?
- Cameroon ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 16th of 118 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people who are severely food insecure. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Severe food insecurity is defined by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). It is strongly related to insufficient quantity of food (energy).