Prevalence of undernourishment (%) in Zambia
Zambia: Prevalence of undernourishment (%) was 41.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia, 2001–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in Zambia stood at 41.0%.
That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and up 9.9% 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 5th out of 140 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 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 | 43.8% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 42.8% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 41.0% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 39.1% | -4.6% |
| 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 | 35.4% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 38.5% | +8.8% |
| 2024 | 41.0% | +6.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 41.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.1%, 3.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 41.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4%, 2.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.3% | 44.9% | 50.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 36.8% | 31.5% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.9% | 33.9% | 41.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 2 Haiti 51.4% compare
- 3 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 47.0% compare
- 4 Madagascar 41.8% compare
- 6 Syrian Arab Republic 40.8% compare
- 6 Syria 40.8% compare
- 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 39.5% compare
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 41.0% in 2024, 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 5th out of 140 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).