Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 42.5 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2019–2023
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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 42.5 percent. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 10.4% over five years.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 4th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 38.5 percent | 38.5 percent | 38.5 percent | 1 |
| 2020s | 40.92 percent | 39.2 percent | 42.5 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 1 South Sudan 63.1 percent compare
- 2 Malawi 55.6 percent compare
- 3 Haiti 45.4 percent compare
- 5 Liberia 37.1 percent compare
- 6 Sierra Leone 33.7 percent compare
- 7 Afghanistan 31 percent compare
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.17 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.6722 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 133.85 2010 = 100 (2016)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Democratic Republic of Congo was 42.5 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 42.5 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.5 percent in 2019.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.