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 Zambia.
Zambia income group: Lower Middle Income
Comparison
Zambia
Eastern Africa
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Zambia
3.6
Eastern Africa
3.3
World
3.4
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
3.6 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
Zambia
90
Eastern Africa
84
World
42
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
90%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
20.6
Eastern Africa
213.8
World
261.4
Availability of fruits
20.6 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
Zambia
57.8
Eastern Africa
151.1
World
300.8
Availability of vegetables
57.8 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
Zambia
45
Eastern Africa
18
World
68
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
45%
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
Zambia
3.9
Eastern Africa
2.4
World
155.1
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
3.9 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
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
Zambia
30
Eastern Africa
28
World
11
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
30%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
73
Eastern Africa
67
World
31
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
73%
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
23
Eastern Africa
22
World
32
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
23%
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
2018
Source: UNICEF
Zambia
30
Eastern Africa
42
World
39
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
30% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2018
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Zambia
2.5
Eastern Africa
2.1
World
4.2
Cereals yield
2.5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
4.5
Eastern Africa
6.9
World
13.8
Fruit yield
4.5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
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
Zambia
1,314.8
Eastern Africa
482
World
2,262.9
Cow's milk yield
1,314.8 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
1,619
Eastern Africa
1,477.5
World
2,210.1
Beef yield
1,619 100 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
Source: Minderoo Foundation
Zambia
76,247.5
Eastern Africa
45,213.8
World
83,692.6
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
76,247.5 kT CO2eq
Zambia
0.3
Eastern Africa
0.2
World
0.2
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
1.8
Eastern Africa
1.8
World
1.1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
1.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Zambia
1.3
Eastern Africa
3.5
World
1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
1.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Zambia
22.8
Eastern Africa
64.9
World
28.3
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
22.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Zambia
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
Zambia
78
Eastern Africa
52
World
43
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
78% 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
Zambia
1
Eastern Africa
6
World
17
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
1%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Zambia
1.1
Eastern Africa
0.4
World
2.3
Pesticide use per area of cropland
1.1 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
Zambia
3
Eastern Africa
25
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
Zambia
2
Eastern Africa
3
World
4
Unemployment rate (Rural)
2% working age population
Zambia
2
Eastern Africa
14
World
6
Underemployment rate (Rural)
2% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2022
Source: ILO
Zambia
2
Eastern Africa
18
World
58
Social protection coverage
2% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2015
Source: World Bank
Zambia
3
Eastern Africa
12
World
23
Social protection adequacy
3% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2015
Source: World Bank
Zambia
20
Eastern Africa
18
World
8
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
20% children 5-17
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
2012
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Zambia
0.9
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.9
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Zambia
26
Eastern Africa
5
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
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Eastern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Zambia
-0.7
Eastern Africa
-0.7
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.7
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
Zambia
80
Eastern Africa
49.2
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
80
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
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
Zambia
1
Eastern Africa
0.3
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
1
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Zambia
19
Eastern Africa
28.1
World
43
Open budget index score
19
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Source: International Budget Partnership
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)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
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
Zambia
0.6
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.6
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
Zambia
99.1
Eastern Africa
81.4
World
110.1
Mobile cellular subscriptions
99.1 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
Zambia
0.4
Eastern 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
Zambia
24
Eastern Africa
32
World
25
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
24% 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
Zambia
7,583
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
7,583
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
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
Zambia
0.3
Eastern Africa
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.3
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
Zambia
0.8
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.8
Zambia
30
Eastern Africa
37
World
32.2
Food supply variability per capita
30 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