Share of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of people who are undernourished was 38.5 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
38.5 percent
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
6th
of 169 countries
All-time high
38.5 percent
in 2023
All-time low
26.8 percent
in 2001
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Share of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2023

0102030402001201220232001: 26.8 percent2002: 27.2 percent2003: 27.2 percent2004: 27.3 percent2005: 27.3 percent2006: 27.4 percent2007: 27.6 percent2008: 27.7 percent2009: 28.4 percent2010: 28.7 percent2011: 29.6 percent2012: 30.5 percent2013: 30.8 percent2014: 31.1 percent2015: 31.7 percent2016: 32.3 percent2017: 32.7 percent2018: 32.5 percent2019: 34.1 percent2020: 35.2 percent2021: 36.6 percent2022: 37.3 percent2023: 38.5 percent

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 in Democratic Republic of Congo is 38.5 percent, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 38.5 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.8 percent, in 2001.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 6th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 27.43 percent 26.8 percent 28.4 percent 9
2010s 31.4 percent 28.7 percent 34.1 percent 10
2020s 36.9 percent 35.2 percent 38.5 percent 4

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 3 North Korea 47 percent compare
  2. 4 Madagascar 39.5 percent compare
  3. 5 Syria 39 percent compare
  4. 7 Zambia 37.2 percent compare
  5. 8 Kenya 36.8 percent compare
  6. 9 Liberia 35.5 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Share of people who are undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo was 38.5 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 recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 38.5 percent in 2023.
What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 26.8 percent in 2001.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of people who are undernourished?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who are undernourished
Unit
percent
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
169 places, 3,850 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.