Gabon - Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population)

Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Gabon was 15.70 as of 2019. Its highest value over the past 18 years was 17.40 in 2009, while its lowest value was 10.70 in 2001.

Definition: Population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption (also referred to as prevalence of undernourishment) shows the percentage of the population whose food intake is insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements continuously. Data showing as 5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 5%.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (http://www.fao.org/publications/en/).

See also:

Year Value
2001 10.70
2002 12.10
2003 13.30
2004 13.90
2005 14.30
2006 14.80
2007 15.90
2008 16.80
2009 17.40
2010 17.20
2011 17.20
2012 17.30
2013 16.10
2014 14.70
2015 13.90
2016 15.00
2017 16.00
2018 16.20
2019 15.70

Development Relevance: Good nutrition is the cornerstone for survival, health and development. Well-nourished children perform better in school, grow into healthy adults and in turn give their children a better start in life. Well-nourished women face fewer risks during pregnancy and childbirth, and their children set off on firmer developmental paths, both physically and mentally (UNICEF www.childinfo.org).

Limitations and Exceptions: From a policy and program standpoint, this measure has its limits. First, food insecurity exists even where food availability is not a problem because of inadequate access of poor households to food. Second, food insecurity is an individual or household phenomenon, and the average food available to each person, even corrected for possible effects of low income, is not a good predictor of food insecurity among the population. And third, nutrition security is determined not only by food security but also by the quality of care of mothers and children and the quality of the household's health environment (Smith and Haddad 2000).

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Data on undernourishment are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and measure food deprivation based on average food available for human consumption per person, the level of inequality in access to food, and the minimum calories required for an average person.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Nutrition