Malawi vs South Sudan: Number of people who are severely food insecure
Malawi
11.70 million people
in 2023
South Sudan
7.20 million people
in 2023
Malawi rank
9th
South Sudan rank
11th
Number of people who are severely food insecure over time
- Malawi
- South Sudan
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 11.70 million people against 7.20 million people in South Sudan, a difference of 4.50 million people.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.6 times South Sudan's.
Across all 7 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 9th and South Sudan ranks 11th of 118 countries.
Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | South Sudan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 9.13 million people | 6.63 million people | 2.50 million people | Malawi |
| 2020s | 10.80 million people | 6.92 million people | 3.88 million people | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people who are severely food insecure, Malawi or South Sudan?
- Malawi, at 11.70 million people against 7.20 million people in South Sudan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of people who are severely food insecure between Malawi and South Sudan?
- 4.50 million people, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Sudan?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 2017 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and South Sudan rank globally for number of people who are severely food insecure?
- Malawi ranks 9th and South Sudan ranks 11th 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).