FSCI Indicators Breakdown

The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for South Sudan.

South Sudan income group: Low Income
Comparison
South Sudan
Eastern Africa
World

Diets, Nutrition, and Health

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eastern Africa
3.3
World
3.4
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
No Data
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
Source: FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
84
World
42
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
No Data
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
125.5
Eastern Africa
213.8
World
261.4
Availability of fruits
125.5 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
133.5
Eastern Africa
151.1
World
300.8
Availability of vegetables
133.5 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
18
World
68
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
No Data
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
Eastern Africa
2.4
World
155.1
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
No Data
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
Eastern Africa
53
World
66
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
No Data
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Eastern Africa
29
World
39
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
No Data
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
Eastern Africa
3.5
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
Eastern Africa
1.3
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
Eastern Africa
11
World
11
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Eastern Africa
20
World
19
Adults: Soft drink consumption
No Data
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
South Sudan
21
Eastern Africa
28
World
11
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
21%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
87
Eastern Africa
67
World
31
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
87%
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
22
World
32
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
No Data
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Source: UNICEF
Eastern Africa
42
World
39
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Environment, natural resources, and production

Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Sudan
37
Eastern Africa
68
World
63
Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
37%
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
1.1
Eastern Africa
2.1
World
4.2
Cereals yield
1.1 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
6.1
Eastern Africa
6.9
World
13.8
Fruit yield
6.1 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
8.3
Eastern Africa
8.7
World
20.1
Vegetable yield
8.3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
378.8
Eastern Africa
482
World
2,262.9
Cow's milk yield
378.8 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
1,405
Eastern Africa
1,477.5
World
2,210.1
Beef yield
1,405 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
7.8
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
No Data
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
South Sudan
61,405.1
Eastern Africa
45,213.8
World
83,692.6
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
61,405.1 kT CO2eq
Greenhouse gas emissions (kt CO2 equivalents) from food systems
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
0.1
Eastern Africa
0.2
World
0.2
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.1 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
4.8
Eastern Africa
1.8
World
1.1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
4.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of rice
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
5.1
Eastern Africa
3.5
World
1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
5.1 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
51.7
Eastern Africa
64.9
World
28.3
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
51.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of beef
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
-1
Eastern Africa
1
World
0
Cropland area change
-1% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
South Sudan
85
Eastern Africa
52
World
43
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
85% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
South Sudan
0
Eastern Africa
6
World
17
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
0%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Eastern Africa
0.4
World
2.3
Pesticide use per area of cropland
No Data
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity

Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Sudan
4
Eastern Africa
25
World
4
Share of agriculture in GDP
4% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2015
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
13
Eastern Africa
3
World
4
Unemployment rate (Rural)
13% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are unemployed
2008
Source: ILO
Eastern Africa
14
World
6
Underemployment rate (Rural)
No Data
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
Source: ILO
South Sudan
6
Eastern Africa
18
World
58
Social protection coverage
6% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2009
Source: World Bank
South Sudan
2
Eastern Africa
12
World
23
Social protection adequacy
2% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2009
Source: World Bank
Eastern Africa
18
World
8
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
No Data
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
Source: UNICEF
Eastern Africa
56
World
31
Share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land
No Data
Source:
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Governance

Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Sudan
0.2
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.2
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
South Sudan
0
Eastern Africa
5
World
8
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2020
Source: Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Oakridge National Laboratory (Landscan population product)
FSCI
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
An indicator that classifies countries by the extent to which national laws or policies recognize or enact people’s right to sufficient food
Source: FAOLEXFSCI
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Whether the country has developed a food system transformation pathway through the UNFSS process
Source: FAOFSCI
South Sudan
-2.4
Eastern Africa
-0.7
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-2.4
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
South Sudan
20
Eastern Africa
49.2
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
20
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
South Sudan
-0.8
Eastern Africa
0.3
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
-0.8
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
South Sudan
15
Eastern Africa
28.1
World
43
Open budget index score
15
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Resilience

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
No Data
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
Source:
FAO
South Sudan
30
Eastern Africa
81.4
World
110.1
Mobile cellular subscriptions
30 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
South Sudan
0.3
Eastern Africa
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.3
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
South Sudan
11
Eastern Africa
32
World
25
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
11% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Eastern Africa
27,665.9
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
No Data
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
Source: FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
1.7
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
No Data
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
Source: FAOSTAT
South Sudan
0.5
Eastern Africa
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.5
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
South Sudan
0.8
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.8
How much food prices vary over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2022
Source: FAOSTATFSCI
Eastern Africa
37
World
32.2
Food supply variability per capita
No Data
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable