Zambia's prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%) was 17.2% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 5.3 percentage points from 22.5% in 2019.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 17.2% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 22.5% | 2019 |
| Highest | 25% | 2018 |
| Lowest | 17.2% | 2023 |
| Average since 2015 | 21.33% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 22.4% | 2015 |
Over five years it is down 5.3 percentage points from 22.5% in 2019. Since 2015 it is down 5.2 percentage points from 22.4% in 2015.
What the numbers say
In 2024, Zambia's prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%) did not change 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.2% to 17.2%).
Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2016 to 2023), the average change was −0.65 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.4 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.7 percentage points in 2021. 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 downward, about 0.82 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 75% 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.
How it compares
In 2024, Zambia had the 14th highest value of the 93 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia | 17.2% | 2024 |
| World | 10.14% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 16.75% | 2024 |
Closest to Zambia in the 2024 ranking
What this measures
The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as severely food insecure. A household is classified as severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to several of the most severe experiences described in the FIES questions, such as to have been forced to reduce the quantity of the food, to have skipped meals, having gone hungry, or having to go for a whole day without eating because of a lack of money or other resources.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.
All 10 values
| Year | Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 17.2 |
| 2023 | 17.2 |
| 2022 | 19 |
| 2021 | 19.7 |
| 2020 | 22.4 |
| 2019 | 22.5 |
| 2018 | 25 |
| 2017 | 24.1 |
| 2016 | 23.8 |
| 2015 | 22.4 |
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%) in nearby economies
More health data for Zambia
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 14.71% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 15.03% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 4.49 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 40.57% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 4.49 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 41.38% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 8.98 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 40.97% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 13.41% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zambia's prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%)?
- 17.2% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2015?
- It is down 5.2 percentage points from 22.4% in 2015. The highest value was 25% in 2018 and the lowest 17.2% in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank?
- 14th highest of 93 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%) unusual for Zambia?
- In 2024, Zambia's prevalence of severe food insecurity in the population (%) did not change 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.2% to 17.2%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2016 to 2023), the average change was −0.65 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SN.ITK.SVFI.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 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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