Number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain

Spain: Number of people who are severely food insecure was 700,000 people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
700,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
57th
of 118 countries
All-time high
900,000 people
in 2019
All-time low
500,000 people
in 2015
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain, 2015–2023

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M2015201920232015: 500.0k people2016: 600.0k people2017: 700.0k people2018: 800.0k people2019: 900.0k people2020: 900.0k people2021: 800.0k people2022: 700.0k people2023: 700.0k people

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2023, number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain stood at 700,000 people.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 40.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain peaked at 900,000 people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 500,000 people, in 2015.

That places Spain 57th out of 118 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

Number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain, 2015 to 2023.
Year people Change
2015 500,000 people —
2016 600,000 people +20.0%
2017 700,000 people +16.7%
2018 800,000 people +14.3%
2019 900,000 people +12.5%
2020 900,000 people +0.0%
2021 800,000 people -11.1%
2022 700,000 people -12.5%
2023 700,000 people +0.0%

Spain compared with similar countries

  • Spain's 700,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 200,000 people, 3.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • Spain's 700,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 200,000 people, 3.5× the median. (39 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 700,000 people 500,000 people 900,000 people 5
2020s 775,000 people 700,000 people 900,000 people 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 54 Namibia 900,000 people compare
  2. 54 Togo 900,000 people compare
  3. 56 Jamaica 800,000 people compare
  4. 57 Canada 700,000 people compare
  5. 57 Chile 700,000 people compare
  6. 57 Mauritania 700,000 people compare
  7. 57 Senegal 700,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 118 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain?
Number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain was 700,000 people in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people who are severely food insecure recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 900,000 people in 2019.
What is the lowest number of people who are severely food insecure recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 500,000 people in 2015.
How does Spain rank for number of people who are severely food insecure?
Spain ranks 57th out of 118 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of people who are severely food insecure rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people who are severely food insecure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people who are severely food insecure in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-severely-food-insecure/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people who are severely food insecure
Unit
people
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
118 places, 973 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Severe food insecurity is defined by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). It is strongly related to insufficient quantity of food (energy).