Number of people severely food insecure in Zambia

Zambia: Number of people severely food insecure was 3.60 million in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
3.60 million
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
26th
of 118 countries
All-time high
4.50 million
in 2018
All-time low
3.60 million
in 2023
Years of data
9
2015–2023

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

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M2015201920232015: 3.7M2016: 4.0M2017: 4.2M2018: 4.5M2019: 4.2M2020: 4.3M2021: 3.9M2022: 3.8M2023: 3.6M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, number of people severely food insecure in Zambia stood at 3.60 million. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people severely food insecure in Zambia peaked at 4.50 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.60 million, in 2023.

Zambia ranks 26th of 118 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.12 million 3.70 million 4.50 million 5
2020s 3.90 million 3.60 million 4.30 million 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 24 Mexico 3.80 million compare
  2. 24 Nepal 3.80 million compare
  3. 27 Philippines 3.50 million compare
  4. 28 United States 3.30 million compare
  5. 29 Ghana 3.20 million compare

See the full ranking of 118 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people severely food insecure in Zambia?
Number of people severely food insecure in Zambia was 3.60 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people severely food insecure recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 4.50 million in 2018.
What is the lowest number of people severely food insecure recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 3.60 million in 2023.
How does Zambia rank for number of people severely food insecure?
Zambia ranks 26th out of 118 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of people severely food insecure rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zambia 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 Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-severely-food-insecure/zambia/

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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