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Food and agriculture ยท ranked by Severe food insecurity

Countries with the highest severe food insecurity

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-11-02
Number oneSouth Sudan63.1 %
Ranking by Severe food insecurity
#NameSevere food insecurityChange
1
South Sudan
63.1 %new
256.3 %new
355.6 %new
445.4 %new
543.4 %new
642.5 %new
737.1 %new
833.7 %new
931.2 %new
1031 %new
Show positions 11โ€“50
1130 %new
1228.1 %new
1327.8 %new
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1527 %new
1626.1 %new
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1825.1 %new
1924.7 %new
2024.7 %new
2124.4 %new
2224.3 %new
2322.2 %new
2421.7 %new
2521.3 %new
2620.9 %new
2719 %new
2817.9 %new
2917.8 %new
3017.2 %new
3117.2 %new
3216.5 %new
3315.4 %new
3415.4 %new
3515 %new
3614.9 %new
3714.5 %new
3814.1 %new
3913.1 %new
4012.8 %new
4112.3 %new
4212.2 %new
4312 %new
4411.9 %new
4510.3 %new
4610.1 %new
4710.1 %new
489.9 %new
499.6 %new
509.4 %new

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries with the highest severe food insecurity, explained

Countries with the highest severe food insecurity is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in food and agriculture by Severe food insecurity, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

South Sudan currently holds #1 with 63.1 %. Central African Republic is second with 56.3 %, which puts the leader 12% ahead. Malawi completes the top three with 55.6 %. Together the top three account for about 40% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: The share of the population experiencing severe food insecurity. Our World in Data chart "severe-food-insecurity-undernourishment" (column _2_1_2_prevalence_of_severe_food_insecurity__both_sexes_or_no_breakdown_by_sex__all_age_ranges_or_no_breakdown_by_age__no_breakdown_by_urbanisation__00000024003_ttt__value__006121__percent); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries with the highest severe food insecurity?
South Sudan is #1 with 63.1 %, as of 2026-11-02. Central African Republic is #2.
How is Countries with the highest severe food insecurity ranked?
By Severe food insecurity. The share of the population experiencing severe food insecurity. Our World in Data chart "severe-food-insecurity-undernourishment" (column _2_1_2_prevalence_of_severe_food_insecurity__both_sexes_or_no_breakdown_by_sex__all_age_ranges_or_no_breakdown_by_age__no_breakdown_by_urbanisation__00000024003_ttt__value__006121__percent); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.