Share of people who are undernourished in Kenya

Kenya: Share of people who are undernourished was 36.8 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
36.8 percent
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
8th
of 169 countries
All-time high
36.8 percent
in 2023
All-time low
18.9 percent
in 2013
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Share of people who are undernourished in Kenya, 2001–2023

0102030402001201220232001: 31.8 percent2002: 33.3 percent2003: 34.5 percent2004: 31.6 percent2005: 28 percent2006: 25.8 percent2007: 26.8 percent2008: 26.7 percent2009: 24.3 percent2010: 21.7 percent2011: 19.9 percent2012: 19.1 percent2013: 18.9 percent2014: 19 percent2015: 20.8 percent2016: 22.2 percent2017: 23.6 percent2018: 22.9 percent2019: 23.7 percent2020: 26.3 percent2021: 31.6 percent2022: 35.3 percent2023: 36.8 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 Kenya is 36.8 percent, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 94.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Kenya peaked at 36.8 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 18.9 percent, in 2013.

Kenya ranks 8th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29.2 percent 24.3 percent 34.5 percent 9
2010s 21.18 percent 18.9 percent 23.7 percent 10
2020s 32.5 percent 26.3 percent 36.8 percent 4

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 5 Syria 39 percent compare
  2. 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 38.5 percent compare
  3. 7 Zambia 37.2 percent compare
  4. 9 Liberia 35.5 percent compare
  5. 10 Chad 32 percent compare
  6. 11 Central African Republic 29.8 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who are undernourished in Kenya?
Share of people who are undernourished in Kenya was 36.8 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 36.8 percent in 2023.
What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 18.9 percent in 2013.
How does Kenya rank for share of people who are undernourished?
Kenya ranks 8th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 94.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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.