Number undernourished in Zambia
Zambia: Number undernourished was 7.70 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number undernourished in Zambia, 2001–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number undernourished in Zambia is 7.70 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number undernourished in Zambia peaked at 7.70 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.20 million, in 2001.
Zambia ranks 19th 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5.20 million | — |
| 2002 | 5.30 million | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 5.50 million | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 5.60 million | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 5.80 million | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 5.80 million | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5.90 million | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 5.90 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6.10 million | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 6.10 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6.20 million | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 6.10 million | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 6.00 million | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 5.90 million | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 5.80 million | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.70 million | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 5.50 million | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 5.70 million | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 5.90 million | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 6.50 million | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 7.00 million | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 7.30 million | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 7.70 million | +5.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 7.70 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.60 million, 4.8× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 7.70 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.10 million, 3.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.68 million | 5.20 million | 6.10 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.89 million | 5.50 million | 6.20 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.12 million | 6.50 million | 7.70 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0941 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies 0.3261 (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Urban area long term, annual growth rate 3.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban area long term, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban area long term, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number undernourished in Zambia?
- Number undernourished in Zambia was 7.70 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number undernourished recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.70 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest number undernourished recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.20 million in 2001.
- How does Zambia rank for number undernourished?
- Zambia ranks 19th out of 131 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number undernourished rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. 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 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).