Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Kenya
Kenya: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 28.1 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Kenya, 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 Kenya stood at 28.1 percent. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 87.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Kenya peaked at 28.1 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15 percent, in 2015.
That places Kenya 9th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Kenya, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 15 percent | — |
| 2016 | 17.8 percent | +18.7% |
| 2017 | 21.6 percent | +21.3% |
| 2018 | 23.4 percent | +8.3% |
| 2019 | 24.9 percent | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 26.1 percent | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 28 percent | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 28 percent | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 28.1 percent | +0.4% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 28.1 percent is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1 percent, 2.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 28.1 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 1.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 20.54 percent | 15 percent | 24.9 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 27.55 percent | 26.1 percent | 28.1 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Kenya?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Kenya was 28.1 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 28.1 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 15 percent in 2015.
- How does Kenya rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Kenya ranks 9th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 87.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.