Share of people who are undernourished in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Share of people who are undernourished was 24.1 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
24.1 percent
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
17th
of 169 countries
All-time high
50 percent
in 2001
All-time low
21.6 percent
in 2011
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Share of people who are undernourished in Sierra Leone, 2001–2023

010203040502001201220232001: 50 percent2002: 49.2 percent2003: 47 percent2004: 44.4 percent2005: 40.2 percent2006: 36 percent2007: 31.9 percent2008: 28.1 percent2009: 24.8 percent2010: 22.5 percent2011: 21.6 percent2012: 21.9 percent2013: 23.2 percent2014: 23.2 percent2015: 24.1 percent2016: 24.5 percent2017: 26 percent2018: 27 percent2019: 27.8 percent2020: 27.5 percent2021: 26.3 percent2022: 25.2 percent2023: 24.1 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 Sierra Leone is 24.1 percent, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 4.4% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Sierra Leone peaked at 50 percent in 2001 and was at its lowest, 21.6 percent, in 2011.

Sierra Leone ranks 17th 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 39.07 percent 24.8 percent 50 percent 9
2010s 24.18 percent 21.6 percent 27.8 percent 10
2020s 25.77 percent 24.1 percent 27.5 percent 4

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 14 Congo 26.4 percent compare
  2. 15 Gabon 25.3 percent compare
  3. 16 Rwanda 24.4 percent compare
  4. 18 Botswana 24 percent compare
  5. 19 Angola 22.5 percent compare
  6. 20 Guinea-Bissau 22.1 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who are undernourished in Sierra Leone?
Share of people who are undernourished in Sierra Leone was 24.1 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 Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 50 percent in 2001.
What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 21.6 percent in 2011.
How does Sierra Leone rank for share of people who are undernourished?
Sierra Leone ranks 17th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sierra Leone 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.