Liberia vs Malawi: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished

Liberia
37.1 percent
in 2023
Malawi
55.6 percent
in 2023
Liberia rank
5th
Malawi rank
2nd

Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished over time

  • Liberia
  • Malawi
0204060201520192023

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 55.6 percent against 37.1 percent in Liberia, a difference of 18.5 percent.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.5 times Liberia's.

Across all 8 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.

Liberia ranks 5th and Malawi ranks 2nd of 125 countries.

Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Liberia Malawi Difference Ahead
2010s 38.15 percent 48.85 percent 10.7 percent Malawi
2020s 37.3 percent 53.08 percent 15.78 percent Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished, Liberia or Malawi?
Malawi, at 55.6 percent against 37.1 percent in Liberia as of 2023.
What is the difference in share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished between Liberia and Malawi?
18.5 percent, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Liberia and Malawi?
8 years are reported by both, from 2015 to 2023.
How do Liberia and Malawi rank globally for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Liberia ranks 5th and Malawi ranks 2nd of 125 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 Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished
Unit
percent
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
125 places, 1,042 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.