Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia
Zambia: Prevalence of undernourishment was 37.2 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
37.2
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
7th
of 169 countries
All-time high
50.3
in 2001
All-time low
31.5
in 2018
Years of data
23
2001–2023
Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia, 2001–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia stood at 37.2.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia peaked at 50.3 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 31.5, 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.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 50.3 | — |
| 2002 | 50.1 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 50.1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 49.5 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 49.4 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 48.1 | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 46.8 | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 45.6 | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 44.9 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 43.9 | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 42.8 | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 41.1 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 39.1 | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 37.3 | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 35.1 | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 33.4 | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 31.8 | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 31.5 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 32.1 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 33.9 | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 35.7 | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 36.2 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 37.2 | +2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 37.2 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12, 3.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 37.2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7, 1.9× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.31 | 44.9 | 50.3 | 9 |
| 2010s | 36.81 | 31.5 | 43.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.75 | 33.9 | 37.2 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0941 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies 0.3261 (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Urban area long term, annual growth rate 3.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban area long term, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban area long term, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia was 37.2 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3 in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5 in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Zambia ranks 7th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment. 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).