Share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa
South Africa: Share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories was 10 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa is 10 percent, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is up 78.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa peaked at 10 percent in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.3 percent, in 2004.
That places South Africa 57th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3.6 percent | — |
| 2002 | 3.5 percent | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 3.4 percent | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 3.3 percent | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 3.3 percent | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3.4 percent | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 3.5 percent | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 3.5 percent | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 percent | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 4.5 percent | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 5 percent | +11.1% |
| 2012 | 5.2 percent | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 5.6 percent | +7.7% |
| 2014 | 6.4 percent | +14.3% |
| 2015 | 6.6 percent | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 6.4 percent | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 6.1 percent | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 6.4 percent | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 7.2 percent | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 8.6 percent | +19.4% |
| 2021 | 9.4 percent | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 10 percent | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 10 percent | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.5 percent | 3.3 percent | 4 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.94 percent | 4.5 percent | 7.2 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.5 percent | 8.6 percent | 10 percent | 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 share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa?
- Share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories in South Africa was 10 percent 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 share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10 percent in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3 percent in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories?
- South Africa ranks 57th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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 Share of people who are undernourished vs. daily supply of calories. 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).
About this data
Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.