Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Sudan
South Sudan: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 63.1 percent in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Sudan, 2017–2023
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 South Sudan is 63.1 percent, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
That places South Sudan 1st 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 South Sudan, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 65.4 percent | — |
| 2018 | 63.7 percent | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 63 percent | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 62.3 percent | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 63.2 percent | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 63.2 percent | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 63.1 percent | -0.2% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 63.1 percent is above the median for low income countries, which is 21.7 percent, 2.9× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 63.1 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 3.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 64.03 percent | 63 percent | 65.4 percent | 3 |
| 2020s | 62.95 percent | 62.3 percent | 63.2 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More reference data data for South Sudan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3667 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.41 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 19,422 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 684.53 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 325.82 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 8,797 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 6.36 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 577.67 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 944.75 (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Sudan?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in South Sudan was 63.1 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 South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 65.4 percent in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.3 percent in 2020.
- How does South Sudan rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- South Sudan ranks 1st 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 Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Sudan 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 — 7 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.