Share of people who are undernourished in Somalia
Somalia: Share of people who are undernourished was 53.2 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of people who are undernourished in Somalia, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
In 2023, share of people who are undernourished in Somalia stood at 53.2 percent.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Somalia peaked at 72.5 percent in 2010 and was at its lowest, 52.1 percent, in 2020.
Somalia ranks 2nd 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.
Share of people who are undernourished in Somalia, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 70 percent | — |
| 2002 | 69.9 percent | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 69.8 percent | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 69.7 percent | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 69.7 percent | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 69.7 percent | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 69.7 percent | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 69.8 percent | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 71.8 percent | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 72.5 percent | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 71.5 percent | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 67.4 percent | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 63.3 percent | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 61.4 percent | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 60.7 percent | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 60.2 percent | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 59 percent | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 56.2 percent | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 53.9 percent | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 52.1 percent | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 52.1 percent | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 52.8 percent | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 53.2 percent | +0.8% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 53.2 percent is above the median for low income countries, which is 24.1 percent, 2.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 53.2 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7 percent, 2.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 70.01 percent | 69.7 percent | 71.8 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 62.61 percent | 53.9 percent | 72.5 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.55 percent | 52.1 percent | 53.2 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 1 Haiti 54.2 percent compare
- 3 North Korea 47 percent compare
- 4 Madagascar 39.5 percent compare
- 5 Syria 39 percent compare
More reference data data for Somalia
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 1,193 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Crop Residues 71.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 11,378 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 3.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 42.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 1,054 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 1,010 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 0.4444 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 234.3 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 11,072 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who are undernourished in Somalia?
- Share of people who are undernourished in Somalia was 53.2 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5 percent in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.1 percent in 2020.
- How does Somalia rank for share of people who are undernourished?
- Somalia ranks 2nd out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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.
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About this data
Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.