Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity was 6.9 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 6.9 percent for share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 21.1% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 6.9 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.5 percent, in 2020.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 106th out of 126 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6.3 percent | — |
| 2016 | 6.1 percent | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 5.6 percent | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 4.9 percent | -12.5% |
| 2019 | 3.9 percent | -20.4% |
| 2020 | 3.5 percent | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 4.1 percent | +17.1% |
| 2022 | 5.7 percent | +39.0% |
| 2023 | 6.9 percent | +21.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.36 percent | 3.9 percent | 6.3 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.05 percent | 3.5 percent | 6.9 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More population data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1791 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.1389 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1791 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0706 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 71,685 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.2666 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.169 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 307.14 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.21 million people (2100)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 6.9 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.9 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5 percent in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 106th out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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).