Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia
Namibia: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 30 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia is 30 percent, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.7% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia peaked at 33 percent in 2021 and was at its lowest, 28.9 percent, in 2015.
Namibia ranks 8th of 125 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 28.9 percent | — |
| 2016 | 29.6 percent | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 30.5 percent | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 31.3 percent | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 32.1 percent | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 32.6 percent | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 33 percent | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 31.8 percent | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 30 percent | -5.7% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 30 percent is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1 percent, 3.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 30 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 1.6× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 30.48 percent | 28.9 percent | 32.1 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 31.85 percent | 30 percent | 33 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More reference data data for Namibia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0579 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0157 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1306 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0853 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Namibia was 30 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 33 percent in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.9 percent in 2015.
- How does Namibia rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Namibia ranks 8th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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.