8.34% of Indonesia's Population Experienced Food Insecurity in 2020

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported a national prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) figure of 8.34% in 2020. This figure increased by 0.71% compared to the previous year, which was 7.63%.

The PoU figure had actually shown improvement in 2018 and 2019, but increased again in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic. This increase in food insecurity is also in line with the increase in the poverty rate, which reached 5.09% in 2020.

According to BPS, the prevalence of undernourishment is a condition where a person regularly consumes an insufficient amount of food to provide the energy needed for a normal, active, and healthy life.

(Read More: [Indonesian citizens allocate 49.22% of expenditure to food](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2021/04/17/warga-indonesia-alokasikan-4922-pengeluaran-untuk-pangan))

The higher the prevalence of undernourishment, the higher the percentage of the population consuming food that is less than their energy needs. This indicator can also reflect changes in food availability and the ability of households to access food.

The 2020 Global Food Security Index (GFSI) report, which measures food security in several countries, ranked Indonesia 65th out of 113 countries. Indonesia's ranking is still below other ASEAN countries such as Singapore (19th), Malaysia (43rd), Thailand (51st), and Vietnam (63rd).