Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ecuador
Ecuador: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 11.9 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ecuador, 2015–2023
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 Ecuador stood at 11.9 percent.
That represents a change of down 6.3% on the previous year and up 98.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ecuador peaked at 13 percent in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6 percent, in 2015.
Ecuador ranks 35th of 125 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 percent | — |
| 2016 | 7.1 percent | +18.3% |
| 2017 | 8.4 percent | +18.3% |
| 2018 | 9.9 percent | +17.9% |
| 2019 | 11.5 percent | +16.2% |
| 2020 | 12.8 percent | +11.3% |
| 2021 | 13 percent | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 12.7 percent | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 11.9 percent | -6.3% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 11.9 percent is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5 percent, 2.4× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 11.9 percent is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.9 percent, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.58 percent | 6 percent | 11.5 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 12.6 percent | 11.9 percent | 13 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More reference data data for Ecuador
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1826 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9943 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ecuador?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ecuador was 11.9 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 13 percent in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 percent in 2015.
- How does Ecuador rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Ecuador ranks 35th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 98.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ecuador 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
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.