Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador

El Salvador: Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity was 45.5 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
45.5 percent
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
29th
of 126 countries
All-time high
48.4 percent
in 2021
All-time low
41.6 percent
in 2016
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador, 2015–2023

010203040502015201920232015: 42.2 percent2016: 41.6 percent2017: 41.6 percent2018: 42.2 percent2019: 45.1 percent2020: 46.5 percent2021: 48.4 percent2022: 46.9 percent2023: 45.5 percent

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.

Analysis

In 2023, share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador stood at 45.5 percent.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador peaked at 48.4 percent in 2021 and was at its lowest, 41.6 percent, in 2016.

That places El Salvador 29th out of 126 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador, 2015 to 2023.
Year percent Change
2015 42.2 percent
2016 41.6 percent -1.4%
2017 41.6 percent +0.0%
2018 42.2 percent +1.4%
2019 45.1 percent +6.9%
2020 46.5 percent +3.1%
2021 48.4 percent +4.1%
2022 46.9 percent -3.1%
2023 45.5 percent -3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 42.54 percent 41.6 percent 45.1 percent 5
2020s 46.83 percent 45.5 percent 48.4 percent 4

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 26 Botswana 53.9 percent compare
  2. 27 Niger 50.9 percent compare
  3. 28 Guatemala 48.8 percent compare
  4. 30 Zambia 45.3 percent compare
  5. 31 Ghana 44.5 percent compare
  6. 32 Dominican Republic 43.8 percent compare

See the full ranking of 126 places →

More population data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador?
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador was 45.5 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 48.4 percent in 2021.
What is the lowest share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 41.6 percent in 2016.
How does El Salvador rank for share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity?
El Salvador ranks 29th out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-with-moderate-or-severe-food-insecurity/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity
Unit
percent
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
126 places, 1,051 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Food insecurity is defined by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Moderate food insecurity is associated with the inability to regularly eat healthy, nutritious diets. Severe food insecurity is more related to insufficient quantity of food (energy).