Severe food insecurity undernourishment in South Africa
South Africa: Severe food insecurity undernourishment was 8.5 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8.5
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
42nd
of 125 countries
All-time high
8.5
in 2023
All-time low
6.9
in 2018
Years of data
6
2018–2023
Severe food insecurity undernourishment in South Africa, 2018–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, severe food insecurity undernourishment in South Africa stood at 8.5. 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.
Severe food insecurity undernourishment in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 6.9 | — |
| 2019 | 7.5 | +8.7% |
| 2020 | 8 | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 8.4 | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 8.4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.5 | +1.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.5 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5, 1.7× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4, 46% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.32 | 8 | 8.5 | 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 severe food insecurity undernourishment in South Africa?
- Severe food insecurity undernourishment in South Africa was 8.5 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest severe food insecurity undernourishment recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.5 in 2023.
- What is the lowest severe food insecurity undernourishment recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9 in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for severe food insecurity undernourishment?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is severe food insecurity undernourishment 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Severe food insecurity undernourishment. 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).