Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia
Zambia: Prevalence of undernourishment was 37.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia, 2001–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia stood at 37.2%.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia peaked at 50.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 2018.
That places Zambia 4th out of 115 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 50.3% | — |
| 2002 | 50.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 50.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 49.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 49.4% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 48.1% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 46.8% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 45.6% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 44.9% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 43.9% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 42.8% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 41.1% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 39.1% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 37.3% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 35.1% | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 33.4% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 31.8% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 31.5% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 32.1% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 33.9% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 35.7% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 36.2% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 37.2% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.3% | 44.9% | 50.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 36.8% | 31.5% | 43.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.8% | 33.9% | 37.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More development goals data for Zambia
- Red List Index 0.9703 (2025)
- Number of refugees per 100,000 population, by country of origin 1.38 (2025)
- Manufacturing value added per capita 84.52 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds 33 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds (not extinct) 32 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds with unknown risk status 32 (2025)
- Number of local breeds with unknown risk status 15 (2025)
- Number of local breeds (not extinct) 15 (2025)
- Number of local breeds kept in the country 15 (2025)
- Infant deaths 23,802 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia was 37.2% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Zambia ranks 4th out of 115 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).