Share of people who are undernourished in Nepal

Nepal: Share of people who are undernourished was 5.3 percent in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.3 percent
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
83rd
of 169 countries
All-time high
23.7 percent
in 2001
All-time low
4.5 percent
in 2018
Years of data
23
2001–2023

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

5101520252001201220232001: 23.7 percent2002: 22 percent2003: 20 percent2004: 17.8 percent2005: 16.9 percent2006: 16 percent2007: 14.9 percent2008: 13.1 percent2009: 11.7 percent2010: 10.8 percent2011: 10.1 percent2012: 9.4 percent2013: 8.7 percent2014: 8.2 percent2015: 7.1 percent2016: 5.9 percent2017: 4.9 percent2018: 4.5 percent2019: 4.6 percent2020: 5 percent2021: 5.2 percent2022: 5.4 percent2023: 5.3 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 Nepal is 5.3 percent, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 39.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Nepal peaked at 23.7 percent in 2001 and was at its lowest, 4.5 percent, in 2018.

Nepal ranks 83rd of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 17.34 percent 11.7 percent 23.7 percent 9
2010s 7.42 percent 4.5 percent 10.8 percent 10
2020s 5.22 percent 5 percent 5.4 percent 4

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 80 Panama 5.7 percent compare
  2. 81 Albania 5.4 percent compare
  3. 81 Myanmar 5.4 percent compare
  4. 83 Vietnam 5.3 percent compare
  5. 85 Cambodia 5.2 percent compare
  6. 85 Paraguay 5.2 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who are undernourished in Nepal?
Share of people who are undernourished in Nepal was 5.3 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 23.7 percent in 2001.
What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 4.5 percent in 2018.
How does Nepal rank for share of people who are undernourished?
Nepal ranks 83rd out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nepal 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

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.