Share of people who are undernourished in Pakistan

Pakistan: Share of people who are undernourished was 16.5 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
16.5 percent
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
35th
of 169 countries
All-time high
21 percent
in 2002
All-time low
10.9 percent
in 2018
Years of data
23
2001–2023

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

051015202001201220232001: 20.4 percent2002: 21 percent2003: 20.2 percent2004: 18.3 percent2005: 16.9 percent2006: 15.7 percent2007: 15.1 percent2008: 15.1 percent2009: 15.4 percent2010: 15.5 percent2011: 15.4 percent2012: 15 percent2013: 14.7 percent2014: 14.2 percent2015: 13.3 percent2016: 11.5 percent2017: 11.7 percent2018: 10.9 percent2019: 12.9 percent2020: 13.4 percent2021: 16.4 percent2022: 16.7 percent2023: 16.5 percent

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.

Analysis

Pakistan recorded 16.5 percent for share of people who are undernourished in 2023.

That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Pakistan peaked at 21 percent in 2002 and was at its lowest, 10.9 percent, in 2018.

Pakistan ranks 35th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 17.57 percent 15.1 percent 21 percent 9
2010s 13.51 percent 10.9 percent 15.5 percent 10
2020s 15.75 percent 13.4 percent 16.7 percent 4

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 32 Sao Tome and Principe 17.4 percent compare
  2. 33 Nicaragua 17.3 percent compare
  3. 34 Gambia 16.8 percent compare
  4. 35 Libya 16.5 percent compare
  5. 37 Comoros 15.4 percent compare
  6. 38 Iraq 14.9 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who are undernourished in Pakistan?
Share of people who are undernourished in Pakistan was 16.5 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 Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 21 percent in 2002.
What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 10.9 percent in 2018.
How does Pakistan rank for share of people who are undernourished?
Pakistan ranks 35th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Pakistan 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.