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The purpose of this indicator is to measure the prevalence of undernourishment to assess progress towards achieving SDG 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’. This indicator provides essential data on the prevalence of undernourishment, which is critical for understanding food security and nutritional well-being in populations. By monitoring this indicator, policymakers, stakeholders, and organizations can make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address food insecurity, malnutrition, and related health challenges. This indicator helps to ensure that populations, such as children, low-income households, and marginalized communities, receive the necessary attention and resources to improve their nutritional status and overall well-being, thereby contributing to the overall objective of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth. 

This indicator measures the prevalence of undernourishment, to monitor the progress towards SDG 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’. It is defined as an estimate of the proportion of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. The relevance of this indicator lies in its ability to provide critical data on prevalence of undernourishment, which is essential for understanding food security challenges and the effectiveness of policies aimed at combating hunger. The data for this indicator is collected through administrative reports, and it is calculated as the integral of the probability density function of daily dietary energy consumption, given certain parameters, from negative infinity to the Minimum Dietary Energy Requirement (MDER). By tracking this indicator, stakeholders can gain valuable insights into food security and nutritional well-being in populations, enabling them to make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address food insecurity, malnutrition, and related health challenges.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Annual.

Percentage (%)

-            Indicator definition - The prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) is an estimate of the proportion of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to                 provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. It is expressed as a percentage.

-            Geographical coverage: National.

-            Data collection method: Administrative Data.

-            Data availability: 2017 - 2021

The construction of the regional and global estimates, as well as estimates for specific groups, such as Least Developed Countries, Land Locked Developing countries, Small Island Developing States, Developed Regions, and Developing Regions, of this indicator follows the UN M49 Standard.

National Level.

It’s calculated by the integral of the probability density function of daily dietary energy consumption, given certain parameters, from negative infinity to the Minimum Dietary Energy Requirement (MDER).

-            International Comparisons: Compare progress in the prevalence of undernourishment across different countries and regions.

-            Reporting and Accountability: Report progress to stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, to ensure accountability and transparency in achieving    SDG Target 2.1.

-            Monitoring and Evaluation: Track progress towards SDG Target 2.1 and evaluate the effectiveness of the prevalence of undernourishment interventions.

N/A.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.