Prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia
Southern Asia: Prevalence of undernourishment was 11.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia stood at 11.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.8% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia peaked at 20.6% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2017.
That places Southern Asia 13th out of 27 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.2% | — |
| 2001 | 17.8% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 19.8% | +11.2% |
| 2003 | 19.5% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 20.6% | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 20.1% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 17.7% | -11.9% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | -12.4% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 15.1% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 14.0% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 14.1% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 12.4% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 11.7% | -9.3% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 10.6% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +23.6% |
| 2021 | 14.2% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 13.9% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 12.2% | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 11.0% | -9.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.7% | 14.7% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 10.4% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 11.0% | 14.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Asia
More development goals data for Southern Asia
- Red List Index 0.7877 (2025)
- Number of refugees per 100,000 population, by country of origin 250.81 (2025)
- Manufacturing value added per capita 368.28 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds 144 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds (not extinct) 143 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds with unknown risk status 93 (2025)
- Number of local breeds with unknown risk status 392 (2025)
- Number of local breeds (not extinct) 641 (2025)
- Number of local breeds kept in the country 647 (2025)
- Infant deaths 1.05 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Southern Asia was 11.0% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2004.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2017.
- How does Southern Asia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Southern Asia ranks 13th out of 27 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Southern Asia 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 · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).