Prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa

South Africa: Prevalence of undernourishment was 10 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
10
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
57th
of 169 countries
All-time high
10
in 2022
All-time low
3.3
in 2004
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa, 2001–2023

468102001201220232001: 3.62002: 3.52003: 3.42004: 3.32005: 3.32006: 3.42007: 3.52008: 3.52009: 42010: 4.52011: 52012: 5.22013: 5.62014: 6.42015: 6.62016: 6.42017: 6.12018: 6.42019: 7.22020: 8.62021: 9.42022: 102023: 10

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa is 10, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 78.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa peaked at 10 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.3, in 2004.

That places South Africa 57th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.5 3.3 4 9
2010s 5.94 4.5 7.2 10
2020s 9.5 8.6 10 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 54 Côte d’Ivoire 11.1 compare
  2. 55 Sudan 11 compare
  3. 56 Bangladesh 10.4 compare
  4. 58 Suriname 9.7 compare
  5. 59 Egypt 9.4 compare
  6. 60 Togo 9.1 compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa?
Prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa was 10 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 10 in 2022.
What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3 in 2004.
How does South Africa rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
South Africa ranks 57th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 78.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of undernourishment in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-undernourishment/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of undernourishment
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
169 places, 3,850 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed