Food insecurity — all countries

Food insecurity — United States

Food insecurity in the United States in 2023 — 10.3%. Ranked 41 in the world out of 134. Since 2015, the indicator has fallen by 0.2 pp.

2023 10.3% +1 pp vs 2022
World rank 41of 134
Period maximum 10.5%2015
Period minimum 8%2020

Trend over time

2015–2023 · % of population

Food insecurity — United States, 2015–20238910112015201620172018201920202021202220232015: 10.5%2016: 9.8%2017: 8.9%2018: 8.4%2019: 8.2%2020: 8%2021: 8.6%2022: 9.3%2023: 10.3%
Change over the period: −0.2 pp Annual average: -0.02 pp

Comparison, 2023

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

United States 10.3%
World 28.4%
Food insecurity — United States, by year United States All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2023 10.3 +1 pp
2022 9.3 +0.7 pp
2021 8.6 +0.6 pp
2020 8 −0.2 pp
2019 8.2 −0.2 pp
2018 8.4 −0.5 pp
2017 8.9 −0.9 pp
2016 9.8 −0.7 pp
2015 10.5

Northern America, 2023

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

CA Canada 10.2 US United States 10.3

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.