Gabon: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Gabon's prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) rose 1.2 percentage points on 2023 (from 22.1% to 23.3%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was +0.52 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.7 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.4 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.87 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 96% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 25.12% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.45%, against 2.53% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Gabon had the 17th highest value of the 164 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Gabon in the 2024 ranking

• Sierra Leone — 14th of 164: 25.3%
• Congo, Rep. — 15th of 164: 25%
• Malawi — 16th of 164: 24.5%
• São Tomé and Principe — 18th of 164: 23%
• Rwanda — 19th of 164: 22.6%
• Mozambique — 20th of 164: 22.3%

What this measures

Prevalence of undernourishment is the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. Data showing as 2.5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 2.5%.

Limitations: The prevalence of undernourishment is a model-based estimate, and its reliability depends on the quality of the data used to estimate the model parameters. Measurement errors may affect estimates of dietary energy consumption derived from household surveys and Food Balance Sheets. Because of the probabilistic nature of the estimation and uncertainty associated with the model parameters, the precision of PoU estimates is generally low. National-level PoU point estimates are available only when they exceed 2.5 percent.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 24 values

Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in nearby economies

• Angola — 17.4% (2024)
• Benin — 11.1% (2024)
• Botswana — 18.2% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 11.7% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 8.1% (2024)
• Cameroon — 4.9% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 29.8% (2024)
• Chad — 33.6% (2024)
• Comoros — 16.5% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More health data for Gabon

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 12.95% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 12.76% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 467,120 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 36.55% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 472,705 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 35.94% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 939,824 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 36.24% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.4% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Gabon's prevalence of undernourishment (% of population)?

23.3% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 12.7 percentage points from 10.6% in 2001. The highest value was 23.3% in 2024 and the lowest 10.6% in 2001.

How does Gabon rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), uri: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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