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

El Salvador: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 15.4 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
15.4 percent
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
25th
of 125 countries
All-time high
16.2 percent
in 2021
All-time low
13.7 percent
in 2016
Years of data
9
2015–2023

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

0510152015201920232015: 13.8 percent2016: 13.7 percent2017: 14 percent2018: 14.6 percent2019: 15.1 percent2020: 14.7 percent2021: 16.2 percent2022: 15.8 percent2023: 15.4 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 El Salvador stood at 15.4 percent.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in El Salvador peaked at 16.2 percent in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.7 percent, in 2016.

That places El Salvador 25th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 14.24 percent 13.7 percent 15.1 percent 5
2020s 15.53 percent 14.7 percent 16.2 percent 4

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 22 Madagascar 17.8 percent compare
  2. 23 Libya 17.2 percent compare
  3. 23 Zambia 17.2 percent compare
  4. 25 Honduras 15.4 percent compare
  5. 27 Benin 15 percent compare
  6. 28 Uganda 14.9 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in El Salvador?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in El Salvador was 15.4 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 El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 16.2 percent in 2021.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 13.7 percent in 2016.
How does El Salvador rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
El Salvador ranks 25th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador 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.

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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.