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

Ireland: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 2.1 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.1 percent
Change on year
up 23.5%
Rank
89th
of 125 regions
All-time high
4.3 percent
in 2019
All-time low
1.7 percent
in 2022
Years of data
9
2015–2023

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

012342015201920232015: 3.4 percent2016: 2.8 percent2017: 2.9 percent2018: 3.5 percent2019: 4.3 percent2020: 3.2 percent2021: 2.4 percent2022: 1.7 percent2023: 2.1 percent

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 2.1 percent for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in 2023.

The figure is up 23.5% on the previous year and down 38.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ireland peaked at 4.3 percent in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.7 percent, in 2022.

Ireland ranks 89th of 125 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 3.38 percent 2.8 percent 4.3 percent 5
2020s 2.35 percent 1.7 percent 3.2 percent 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 86 Belgium 2.4 percent compare
  2. 86 Denmark 2.4 percent compare
  3. 88 Vietnam 2.2 percent compare
  4. 89 Iceland 2.1 percent compare
  5. 92 Bulgaria 2 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ireland?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ireland was 2.1 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 Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 4.3 percent in 2019.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.7 percent in 2022.
How does Ireland rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Ireland ranks 89th out of 125 regions with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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.