Progress
On track or target met
On track or target met

Desired direction: Decrease

Sub-categories

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Headline data

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
Year Value Units Series
2000 3.5 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2022 3.0 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2008 5.7 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2012 7.7 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2020 3.7 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2016 6.7 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2018 3.9 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2014 7.5 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2004 5.2 % Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
2004 2.7 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2016 3.1 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2008 2.1 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2000 1.1 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2012 3.1 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2014 2.9 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2018 1.8 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2020 1.9 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity
2022 1.1 % Prevalence of very severe food insecurity

Geographical Area:

Unit of Measurement:

Footnote:

Methodological sheet of the indicator available for the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Available indicator

Prevalence of severe or very severe food insecurity
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
Goal

2- End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Definition

Percentage of the population experiencing any of the food insecurity problems listed in the Food Security Scale (FSS) during the past twelve months
Theoretical formula \[T_{FSS}^{t} = \frac{P_{FSS}^{t}}{P^{t}} \cdot 100\]

where:

$P_{FSS}^{t} =$ Population that has suffered a severe or very severe food insecurity situation in the last 12 months of the year $t$

$P^{t} =$ total population in the year $t$
Frequency

Biennial
Observations

The indicator measures the proportion of people experiencing some form of food insecurity according to the following questionnaire:

  • A- They run out of food they buy and have no money to buy more.
  • B- They cannot achieve a balanced and varied diet
  • C- Have you cut back on the amount of food you ate or even skipped meals because you didn’t have enough money for food?
  • E- Have you eaten less than you would have liked because you didn’t have enough money to buy food?
  • F- Have you ever been hungry but didn’t eat because you couldn’t get enough food?
Data last updated 2025/06/11
Metadata last updated 2025/06/18

This section provides more information about the United Nations indicator or the European Union Sustainable Development Indicator, such as its rationale, international results, metadata, and other relevant statistics.

Rationale

Food insecurity at moderate levels of severity is typically associated with the inability to regularly eat healthy, balanced diets. As such, high prevalence of food insecurity at moderate levels can be considered a predictor of various forms of diet-related health conditions in the population, associated with micronutrient deficiency and unbalanced diets.

Severe levels of food insecurity, on the other hand, imply a high probability of reduced food intake and therefore can lead to more severe forms of undernutrition, including hunger.

Short questionnaires like the FIES are very easy to administer at limited cost, which is one of the main advantages of their use.

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Eurostat
Comparability between the available indicator and the UN indicator

The available indicator does not comply with United Nations metadata but provides similar information.
International results

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population (%) AG_PRD_FIESMS UNSTATS
Link to UN metadata

Metadata 2-1-2.pdf
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