Food insecurity — all countries

Food insecurity — Nepal

Food insecurity in Nepal in 2023 — 36.6%. Ranked 90 in the world out of 134. Since 2015, the indicator has risen by 7.1 pp.

2023 36.6% −0.4 pp vs 2022
World rank 90of 134
Period maximum 37.8%2020
Period minimum 29.5%2015

Trend over time

2015–2023 · % of population

Food insecurity — Nepal, 2015–202327.53032.53537.5402015201620172018201920202021202220232015: 29.5%2016: 31.2%2017: 31.6%2018: 33.8%2019: 36.4%2020: 37.8%2021: 37.4%2022: 37%2023: 36.6%
Change over the period: +7.1 pp Annual average: 0.89 pp

Comparison, 2023

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Nepal

Nepal 36.6%
World 28.4%
South Asia 39.3%
Food insecurity — Nepal, by year Nepal All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2023 36.6 −0.4 pp
2022 37 −0.4 pp
2021 37.4 −0.4 pp
2020 37.8 +1.4 pp
2019 36.4 +2.6 pp
2018 33.8 +2.2 pp
2017 31.6 +0.4 pp
2016 31.2 +1.7 pp
2015 29.5

Southern Asia, 2023

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of the population that experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, on the FIES scale of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The indicator is built not on calories but on a survey: people are asked whether over the past year they had to eat less, skip meals or go without food for a whole day because of a lack of money. That is why it catches what undernourishment by calories misses — episodic shortage in countries where the average diet is sufficient.

Important: The moderate and severe forms together, so the values are substantially higher than those of the undernourishment indicator. Based on a survey rather than on a food balance sheet — this is an independent measurement, not a refinement.

Source: FAOSTAT (FAO), license CC BY 4.0.