Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Cameroon

Cameroon: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 24.7 percent in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
24.7 percent
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
14th
of 125 countries
All-time high
28.2 percent
in 2017
All-time low
22.3 percent
in 2015
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Cameroon, 2015–2023

01020302015201920232015: 22.3 percent2016: 26.6 percent2017: 28.2 percent2018: 28.1 percent2019: 27.3 percent2020: 26.7 percent2021: 26.7 percent2022: 25.4 percent2023: 24.7 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Cameroon stood at 24.7 percent.

The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Cameroon peaked at 28.2 percent in 2017 and was at its lowest, 22.3 percent, in 2015.

Cameroon ranks 14th of 125 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 26.5 percent 22.3 percent 28.2 percent 5
2020s 25.88 percent 24.7 percent 26.7 percent 4

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 11 Botswana 26.1 percent compare
  2. 12 Chad 25.2 percent compare
  3. 13 Zimbabwe 25.1 percent compare
  4. 14 Lesotho 24.7 percent compare
  5. 16 Tanzania 24.4 percent compare
  6. 17 Nigeria 24.3 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Cameroon?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Cameroon was 24.7 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 28.2 percent in 2017.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 22.3 percent in 2015.
How does Cameroon rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Cameroon ranks 14th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Cameroon 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. 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
125 places, 1,042 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.