2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity | SDG Indicators Data Portal | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Indicator 2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale

This indicator provides internationally-comparable estimates of the proportion of the population facing moderate or severe difficulties in accessing food. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) produces a measure of the severity of food insecurity experienced by individuals or households, based on direct interviews. The indicator will measure progress towards SDG Target 2.1.

Target 2.1

By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

Indicator 2.1.2: Progress Assessment

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Impact

The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) provides actionable information that policy makers can use to identify vulnerable population groups and guide policy interventions to ensure no one is left behind. As a direct measure of people’s access to adequate food, it complements the information provided by the SDG Indicator 2.1.1.

Key results

In 2025, an estimated 25.8 percent of the global population – 2.1 billion people – were moderately or severely food insecure, down from 27.1 percent in 2024 and 28.7 percent in 2020. That is the equivalent of nearly 86 million fewer people experiencing food insecurity in 2025 compared to 2024, and 135 million fewer compared to 2020.

In 2025, more than half the population of Africa (56.6 percent) was moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 20.3 percent in Asia, 22.9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 8.7 percent in Northern America and Europe. Steady progress has been seen in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean since 2020, and there was improvement in Africa in 2025 for the first time since 2015.

The global prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was consistently higher in rural areas than in peri-urban areas, and lowest in urban areas. Furthermore, it was persistently higher among women than among men, although the difference was smaller in 2025 compared to 2024.

Highlights

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World

Interactive story - The cost of a healthy diet. A number with a story to tell

FAO Hunger Map

Elearning

SDG Indicator 2.1.2 - Using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

02/06/2023

In the context of reporting on the SDG Indicator 2.1.2, this course introduces the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and explains how it can be...

E-learning courses on SDG indicators (with digital badge certification)

01/05/2023

Multimedia

SDG 2 – Indicators of hunger and severity of food insecurity

01/01/2019

An overview of SDG indicators 2.1.1 and 2.1.2, measuring hunger and severity of food insecurity.

Tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators (2022)

01/09/2022

Tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators offers detailed analyses and trends on selected indicators for which...

Capacity development

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Hybrid Event, Santiago (Chile)

Regional Workshop on Analysis and Uses of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) in Latin America and the Caribbean

21/07/2026 - 23/07/2026

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working to help countries achieve the goal of ending hunger and ensuring access...

Douala (Cameroon)

Capacity-building workshop on food security statistics — analysis of the fifth Cameroon Household Survey (ECAM5)

20/07/2026 - 24/07/2026

Strengthening capacity of country institutions to monitor and report on SDG indicators 2.1.1 and 2.1.2

Asunción (Paraguay)

FAO conducts a national workshop focused on analyzing data on food insecurity in Paraguay

15/04/2026 - 17/04/2026

As part of its monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), FAO is conducting a national technical workshop in Asunción from April 15-17,...