Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Prevalence of undernourishment was 38.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
38.5%
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
3rd
of 18 countries
All-time high
38.5%
in 2023
All-time low
26.8%
in 2001
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2001–2023

0102030402001201220232001: 26.82002: 27.22003: 27.22004: 27.32005: 27.32006: 27.42007: 27.62008: 27.72009: 28.42010: 28.72011: 29.62012: 30.52013: 30.82014: 31.12015: 31.72016: 32.32017: 32.72018: 32.52019: 34.12020: 35.22021: 36.62022: 37.32023: 38.5

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2023, prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo stood at 38.5%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo peaked at 38.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.8%, in 2001.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of undernourishment (%) in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2001 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2001 26.8%
2002 27.2% +1.5%
2003 27.2% +0.0%
2004 27.3% +0.4%
2005 27.3% +0.0%
2006 27.4% +0.4%
2007 27.6% +0.7%
2008 27.7% +0.4%
2009 28.4% +2.5%
2010 28.7% +1.1%
2011 29.6% +3.1%
2012 30.5% +3.0%
2013 30.8% +1.0%
2014 31.1% +1.0%
2015 31.7% +1.9%
2016 32.3% +1.9%
2017 32.7% +1.2%
2018 32.5% -0.6%
2019 34.1% +4.9%
2020 35.2% +3.2%
2021 36.6% +4.0%
2022 37.3% +1.9%
2023 38.5% +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 27.4% 26.8% 28.4% 9
2010s 31.4% 28.7% 34.1% 10
2020s 36.9% 35.2% 38.5% 4

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of the Congo

  1. 1 Haiti 54.2% compare
  2. 2 Somalia 53.2% compare
  3. 3 Madagascar 39.5% compare
  4. 4 Zambia 37.2% compare
  5. 5 Kenya 36.8% compare
  6. 6 Liberia 35.5% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More development goals data for Democratic Republic of the Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of the Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo was 38.5% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The highest recorded value was 38.5% in 2023.
What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 26.8% in 2001.
How does Democratic Republic of the Congo rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 3rd out of 18 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of the Congo data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of undernourishment in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://development-goals.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-undernourishment-percent/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of undernourishment (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
160 places, 3,413 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed