Prevalence of Undernourishment in North Padang Lawas Increased by 1.82% in the Last 5 Years

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) in North Padang Lawas Regency, North Sumatra, reached 6.16% in 2024.

This figure increased by 0.07% from the previous year''s 6.09%, while in the last 5 years, it increased by 1.82%.

The average PoU for Indonesia was 8.27% in 2024. This means that the PoU in North Padang Lawas Regency is lower than the national average.

The National Food Agency (Bapanas) defines PoU as a condition where a person regularly consumes an insufficient amount of food to meet the energy required for a normal, active, and healthy life.

This indicator can be used as a tool to assess food and nutrition insecurity.

This means that less than 6.16% of the total population in North Padang Lawas Regency consumes food but has insufficient energy intake.

Compared to 32 other regencies/cities in North Sumatra Province, North Padang Lawas Regency ranks 5th in PoU. The region with the lowest PoU (top rank) is Samosir Regency (5.31%) and the highest (last rank) is Tebing Tinggi City (9.54%).

Below is the list of the 10 regencies/cities with the lowest PoU in North Sumatra Province in 2024.

1. Samosir Regency: 5.31%
2. Padang Lawas Regency: 5.53%
3. Pakpak Bharat Regency: 6.13%
4. Karo Regency: 6.13%
5. North Padang Lawas Regency: 6.16%
6. Humbang Hasundutan Regency: 6.18%
7. Nias Regency: 6.24%
8. Tanjung Balai City: 6.3%
9. North Tapanuli Regency: 6.64%
10. South Labuhan Batu Regency: 6.65%

(Read: Projected Population of Central Java in 2025)