Number undernourished in South Africa
South Africa: Number undernourished was 6.30 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.30 million
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
23rd
of 131 countries
All-time high
6.30 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.60 million
in 2004
Years of data
23
2001–2023
Number undernourished in South Africa, 2001–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number undernourished in South Africa is 6.30 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 103.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number undernourished in South Africa peaked at 6.30 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.60 million, in 2004.
South Africa ranks 23rd of 131 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Number undernourished in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.70 million | — |
| 2002 | 1.70 million | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.70 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.60 million | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 1.60 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.70 million | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 1.80 million | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 1.80 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.10 million | +16.7% |
| 2010 | 2.40 million | +14.3% |
| 2011 | 2.60 million | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 2.80 million | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 3.10 million | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 3.60 million | +16.1% |
| 2015 | 3.70 million | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 3.70 million | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.50 million | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 3.70 million | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 4.30 million | +16.2% |
| 2020 | 5.20 million | +20.9% |
| 2021 | 5.80 million | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 6.20 million | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 6.30 million | +1.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.30 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 500,000, 12.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.30 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.10 million, 3.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.74 million | 1.60 million | 2.10 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.34 million | 2.40 million | 4.30 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.88 million | 5.20 million | 6.30 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number undernourished in South Africa?
- Number undernourished in South Africa was 6.30 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number undernourished recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.30 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest number undernourished recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.60 million in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for number undernourished?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 131 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number undernourished rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 103.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).