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

Gambia: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 21.7 percent in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
21.7 percent
Change on year
down 14.9%
World rank
18th
of 125 countries
All-time high
27.1 percent
in 2020
All-time low
21.7 percent
in 2023
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Gambia, 2016–2023

01020302016201920232016: 23.6 percent2017: 23.6 percent2018: 24.6 percent2019: 25.7 percent2020: 27.1 percent2021: 27 percent2022: 25.5 percent2023: 21.7 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 Gambia stood at 21.7 percent. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.9% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.

Gambia ranks 18th of 125 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 24.38 percent 23.6 percent 25.7 percent 4
2020s 25.32 percent 21.7 percent 27.1 percent 4

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 16 Tanzania 24.4 percent compare
  2. 17 Nigeria 24.3 percent compare
  3. 19 Guatemala 21.3 percent compare
  4. 20 Ethiopia 19 percent compare
  5. 21 Dominican Republic 17.9 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Gambia?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Gambia was 21.7 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 Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 27.1 percent in 2020.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 21.7 percent in 2023.
How does Gambia rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Gambia ranks 18th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Gambia 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.