Peru vs South Africa: Number of people who are severely food insecure
Peru
4.90 million people
in 2023
South Africa
5.40 million people
in 2023
Peru rank
19th
South Africa rank
16th
Number of people who are severely food insecure over time
- Peru
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 5.40 million people against 4.90 million people in Peru, a difference of 500,000 people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Peru's.
Across all 6 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Peru ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 118 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Peru | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.25 million people | 4.25 million people | 0 people | — |
| 2020s | 4.88 million people | 5.17 million people | 300,000 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people who are severely food insecure, Peru or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 5.40 million people against 4.90 million people in Peru as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of people who are severely food insecure between Peru and South Africa?
- 500,000 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Peru and South Africa?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 2018 to 2023.
- How do Peru and South Africa rank globally for number of people who are severely food insecure?
- Peru ranks 19th 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).