Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 8.5 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Africa, 2018–2023
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 South Africa stood at 8.5 percent. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 23.2% over ten years.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Africa, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 6.9 percent | — |
| 2019 | 7.5 percent | +8.7% |
| 2020 | 8 percent | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 8.4 percent | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 8.4 percent | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.5 percent | +1.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.5 percent is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5 percent, 1.7× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.5 percent is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 46% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.2 percent | 6.9 percent | 7.5 percent | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.32 percent | 8 percent | 8.5 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Africa?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Africa was 8.5 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9 percent in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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 — 6 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.