Number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia

Zambia: Number of people moderately or severely food insecure was 9.40 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
9.40 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
36th
of 126 countries
All-time high
9.90 million
in 2020
All-time low
8.40 million
in 2015
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia, 2015–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M2015201920232015: 8.4M2016: 8.9M2017: 9.1M2018: 9.8M2019: 9.7M2020: 9.9M2021: 9.4M2022: 9.3M2023: 9.4M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia stood at 9.40 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia peaked at 9.90 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.40 million, in 2015.

That places Zambia 36th out of 126 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

Number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia, 2015 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2015 8.40 million
2016 8.90 million +6.0%
2017 9.10 million +2.2%
2018 9.80 million +7.7%
2019 9.70 million -1.0%
2020 9.90 million +2.1%
2021 9.40 million -5.1%
2022 9.30 million -1.1%
2023 9.40 million +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 9.18 million 8.40 million 9.80 million 5
2020s 9.50 million 9.30 million 9.90 million 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 33 South Sudan 10.10 million compare
  2. 34 Haiti 9.70 million compare
  3. 35 Burkina Faso 9.50 million compare
  4. 37 Benin 9.30 million compare
  5. 38 Guatemala 8.80 million compare
  6. 39 Uzbekistan 8.70 million compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia?
Number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia was 9.40 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people moderately or severely food insecure recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 9.90 million in 2020.
What is the lowest number of people moderately or severely food insecure recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.40 million in 2015.
How does Zambia rank for number of people moderately or severely food insecure?
Zambia ranks 36th out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of people moderately or severely food insecure rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people moderately or severely food insecure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people moderately or severely food insecure in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-moderately-or-severely-food-insecure/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people moderately or severely food insecure
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
126 places, 1,051 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed