Number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Number of people severely food insecure was 12.90 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
12.90 million
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
8th
of 118 countries
All-time high
12.90 million
in 2023
All-time low
5.00 million
in 2015
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan, 2015–2023

05.0M10.0M15.0M2015201920232015: 5.0M2016: 5.3M2017: 6.2M2018: 6.3M2019: 7.5M2020: 8.8M2021: 11.3M2022: 12.4M2023: 12.9M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan is 12.90 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 158.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan peaked at 12.90 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.00 million, in 2015.

That places Afghanistan 8th out of 118 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

Number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for Number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan, 2015 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2015 5.00 million
2016 5.30 million +6.0%
2017 6.20 million +17.0%
2018 6.30 million +1.6%
2019 7.50 million +19.0%
2020 8.80 million +17.3%
2021 11.30 million +28.4%
2022 12.40 million +9.7%
2023 12.90 million +4.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 6.06 million 5.00 million 7.50 million 5
2020s 11.35 million 8.80 million 12.90 million 4

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 5 Tanzania, United Republic of 16.20 million compare
  2. 6 Kenya 15.50 million compare
  3. 7 Egypt 13.80 million compare
  4. 9 Malawi 11.70 million compare
  5. 10 Uganda 7.30 million compare
  6. 11 South Sudan 7.20 million compare

See the full ranking of 118 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan?
Number of people severely food insecure in Afghanistan was 12.90 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people severely food insecure recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 12.90 million in 2023.
What is the lowest number of people severely food insecure recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 5.00 million in 2015.
How does Afghanistan rank for number of people severely food insecure?
Afghanistan ranks 8th out of 118 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of people severely food insecure rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 158.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people severely food insecure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people severely food insecure
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
118 places, 973 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed