Prevalence of undernourishment in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of undernourishment was 21.4% in 2023. βΌ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Malawi, 2001β2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 21.4% for prevalence of undernourishment in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Malawi peaked at 24.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2011.
That places Malawi 20th out of 115 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.3% | 14.7% | 24.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 13.9% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.6% | 19.9% | 21.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 17 Guinea-Bissau 22.1% compare
- 18 Uganda 22.0% compare
- 19 Mozambique 21.8% compare
- 21 Solomon Islands 20.0% compare
- 22 Nigeria 19.9% compare
- 23 Ethiopia 19.7% compare
- 23 Zimbabwe 19.7% compare
More development goals data for Malawi
- Red List Index 0.8845 index (2025)
- Number of refugees per 100,000 population, by country of origin 2.52 per 100,000 people (2025)
- Manufacturing value added per capita 70.35 constant US$ (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds 31 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds (not extinct) 31 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds with unknown risk status 31 (2025)
- Number of local breeds with unknown risk status 16 (2025)
- Number of local breeds (not extinct) 16 (2025)
- Number of local breeds kept in the country 17 (2025)
- Infant deaths 25,217 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Malawi?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Malawi was 21.4% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 24.1% in 2003.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2011.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Malawi ranks 20th out of 115 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).