Share of people who are undernourished in Zambia

Zambia: Share of people who are undernourished was 37.2 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
37.2 percent
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
7th
of 169 countries
All-time high
50.3 percent
in 2001
All-time low
31.5 percent
in 2018
Years of data
23
2001–2023

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

02040602001201220232001: 50.3 percent2002: 50.1 percent2003: 50.1 percent2004: 49.5 percent2005: 49.4 percent2006: 48.1 percent2007: 46.8 percent2008: 45.6 percent2009: 44.9 percent2010: 43.9 percent2011: 42.8 percent2012: 41.1 percent2013: 39.1 percent2014: 37.3 percent2015: 35.1 percent2016: 33.4 percent2017: 31.8 percent2018: 31.5 percent2019: 32.1 percent2020: 33.9 percent2021: 35.7 percent2022: 36.2 percent2023: 37.2 percent

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 Zambia stood at 37.2 percent.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Zambia peaked at 50.3 percent in 2001 and was at its lowest, 31.5 percent, in 2018.

Zambia ranks 7th 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 48.31 percent 44.9 percent 50.3 percent 9
2010s 36.81 percent 31.5 percent 43.9 percent 10
2020s 35.75 percent 33.9 percent 37.2 percent 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 4 Madagascar 39.5 percent compare
  2. 5 Syria 39 percent compare
  3. 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 38.5 percent compare
  4. 8 Kenya 36.8 percent compare
  5. 9 Liberia 35.5 percent compare
  6. 10 Chad 32 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who are undernourished in Zambia?
Share of people who are undernourished in Zambia was 37.2 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 50.3 percent in 2001.
What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 31.5 percent in 2018.
How does Zambia rank for share of people who are undernourished?
Zambia ranks 7th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zambia 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.