Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Tanzania

Tanzania: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 24.4 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
24.4 percent
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
16th
of 125 countries
All-time high
26.3 percent
in 2021
All-time low
20.6 percent
in 2015
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Tanzania, 2015–2023

01020302015201920232015: 20.6 percent2016: 24.8 percent2017: 25.6 percent2018: 24.9 percent2019: 24.4 percent2020: 25.8 percent2021: 26.3 percent2022: 25.4 percent2023: 24.4 percent

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 Tanzania stood at 24.4 percent.

The figure is down 3.9% on the previous year and up 18.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Tanzania peaked at 26.3 percent in 2021 and was at its lowest, 20.6 percent, in 2015.

That places Tanzania 16th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 24.06 percent 20.6 percent 25.6 percent 5
2020s 25.48 percent 24.4 percent 26.3 percent 4

Countries ranked near Tanzania

  1. 13 Zimbabwe 25.1 percent compare
  2. 14 Cameroon 24.7 percent compare
  3. 14 Lesotho 24.7 percent compare
  4. 17 Nigeria 24.3 percent compare
  5. 18 Gambia 21.7 percent compare
  6. 19 Guatemala 21.3 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Tanzania?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Tanzania was 24.4 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 Tanzania?
The highest recorded value was 26.3 percent in 2021.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Tanzania?
The lowest recorded value was 20.6 percent in 2015.
How does Tanzania rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Tanzania ranks 16th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Tanzania?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Tanzania 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished
Unit
percent
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
125 places, 1,042 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

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.