South Africa
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 Africa.
South Africa income group: Upper Middle Income
Comparison
South Africa
Southern Africa
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Africa
4.6
Southern Africa
4.5
World
3.4
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
4.6 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
67
Southern Africa
67
World
42
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
67%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
110.4
Southern Africa
137.8
World
261.4
Availability of fruits
110.4 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 Africa
108.8
Southern Africa
111.8
World
300.8
Availability of vegetables
108.8 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
South Africa
80
Southern Africa
78
World
68
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
80%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
South Africa
38.7
Southern Africa
36.7
World
155.1
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
38.7 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
South Africa
72
Southern Africa
72
World
66
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
72%
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2021
South Africa
23
Southern Africa
23
World
39
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
23%
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
2021
South Africa
3.3
Southern Africa
3.3
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
3.3
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
2021
South Africa
3.2
Southern Africa
3.2
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
3.2
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
2021
South Africa
10
Southern Africa
10
World
11
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
10%
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2021
South Africa
51
Southern Africa
51
World
19
Adults: Soft drink consumption
51%
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
2021
South Africa
8
Southern Africa
10
World
11
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
8%
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 Africa
20
Southern Africa
25
World
31
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
20%
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
40
Southern Africa
39
World
32
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
40%
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
2016
Source: UNICEF
South Africa
37
Southern Africa
37
World
39
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
37% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2016
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Africa
5
Southern Africa
4.4
World
4.2
Cereals yield
5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
24.6
Southern Africa
22.9
World
13.8
Fruit yield
24.6 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
17.4
Southern Africa
16.8
World
20.1
Vegetable yield
17.4 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
3,763.6
Southern Africa
2,515.1
World
2,262.9
Cow's milk yield
3,763.6 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
3,094
Southern Africa
3,011
World
2,210.1
Beef yield
3,094 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Africa
37.2
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
Source: Minderoo Foundation
South Africa
95,884.6
Southern Africa
35,769.4
World
83,692.6
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
95,884.6 kT CO2eq
South Africa
0.2
Southern Africa
0.2
World
0.2
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.2 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
73.8
Southern Africa
56.4
World
1.1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
73.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
South Africa
0.5
Southern Africa
0.7
World
1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
0.5 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
13.8
Southern Africa
17.6
World
28.3
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
13.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
South Africa
0
Southern Africa
0
World
0
Cropland area change
0% 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 Africa
69
Southern Africa
71
World
43
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
69% 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
Source: DeClerck et al. 2021
South Africa
23
Southern Africa
21
World
17
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
23%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
South Africa
3.4
Southern Africa
3.3
World
2.3
Pesticide use per area of cropland
3.4 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Africa
3
Southern Africa
3
World
4
Share of agriculture in GDP
3% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
27
Southern Africa
26
World
4
Unemployment rate (Rural)
27% working age population
South Africa
5
Southern Africa
5
World
6
Underemployment rate (Rural)
5% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2022
Source: ILO
South Africa
79
Southern Africa
77
World
58
Social protection coverage
79% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2020
Source: World Bank
South Africa
58
Southern Africa
53
World
23
Social protection adequacy
58% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2020
Source: World Bank
Southern Africa
8
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
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
South Africa
0.8
Southern Africa
0.7
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.8
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
South Africa
26
Southern Africa
24
World
8
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
26%
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
2023
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
South Africa
-0.1
Southern Africa
-0.1
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.1
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
South Africa
100
Southern Africa
94.5
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
100
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Southern 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 Africa
1.3
Southern Africa
1.2
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
1.3
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
South Africa
86
Southern Africa
79.4
World
43
Open budget index score
86
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Source: International Budget Partnership
Southern 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)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Southern 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
South Africa
0.8
Southern Africa
0.8
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.8
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
South Africa
167.4
Southern Africa
127.1
World
110.1
Mobile cellular subscriptions
167.4 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 Africa
0.4
Southern Africa
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.4
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
Source: Legatum InstituteFSCI
South Africa
26
Southern Africa
15
World
25
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
26% 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
South Africa
6,871
Southern Africa
4,505.9
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
6,871
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
South Africa
7
Southern Africa
3.4
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
7
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Africa
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
No Data
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
Source:
WFP
South Africa
0.6
Southern Africa
0.5
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.6
South Africa
22
Southern Africa
32.4
World
32.2
Food supply variability per capita
22 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable