Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity was 17.3 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in New Zealand, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 17.3 percent for share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 73.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in New Zealand peaked at 17.3 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 10 percent, in 2015.
New Zealand ranks 70th of 126 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 10 percent | — |
| 2016 | 11.3 percent | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 13.3 percent | +17.7% |
| 2018 | 13.9 percent | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 14 percent | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 14.5 percent | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 15.1 percent | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 16.4 percent | +8.6% |
| 2023 | 17.3 percent | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.5 percent | 10 percent | 14 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 15.82 percent | 14.5 percent | 17.3 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More population data for New Zealand
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0739 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -14.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.191 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.628 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in New Zealand?
- Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in New Zealand was 17.3 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 10 percent in 2015.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity?
- New Zealand ranks 70th out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 73.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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).