Indicator

Severe food insecurity

Logo: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), public domain

Proportion of residents in households with severe food insecurity, according to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA).

Research current through October 13, 2026
Last reviewed October 13, 2026

Unit: % of residents
Population: Residents of permanent private households
Territory: Brazil
Frequency: Irregular (supplements and specific surveys)
Desirable direction: Lower is better

Comparisons

The start and end points always come from the same series. The rule for choosing the years is given next to each comparison.

2004 → 2009: 8.2 → 5.8 % of residents (-2.4 percentage points).
Series: EBIA in the Annual PNAD supplements. Rule: First and last measurement of the same survey within the Lula 1 and 2 governments.

EBIA in the Annual PNAD supplements

Supplements of 2004, 2009, and 2013.

Methodology sheet (checked against the official metadata)

Variable: 2133: Residents in private households
Unit in the source: %
Territory: Brazil (N1)
Population: Residents in private households
Frequency in the source: annual (2004 to 2024)
Annual value: One-off measurement by the survey in the year
Values: rate
Seasonal adjustment: not applicable
Revisions: Table revised with the new weighting of the Continuous PNAD (pending verification in PDF).
Metadata: official lookup (checked on 2026-10-14)

EBIA in the Annual PNAD supplements. Source: IBGE, PNAD (food security supplements) (SIDRA 6665, variável 2133, categoria 109102), extracted on 2026-10-13. Hollow points: preliminary or partial data. Shaded bands, bounded by dashed lines: years of Lula's terms in office (also marked in the table).

Table with all values (3 periods)

EBIA in the Annual PNAD supplements (% of residents)
Period	Value	Status	Term in office that year
2004	8.2	final	Lula 1
2009	5.8	final	Lula 2
2013	3.6	final	other government

Download CSV · Original query (SIDRA 6665, variável 2133, categoria 109102)

EBIA in the POF 2017 to 2018

SIDRA records the POF 2017 to 2018 in the period 2018.

Methodology sheet (checked against the official metadata)

Variable: 2133: Residents in private households
Unit in the source: %
Territory: Brazil (N1)
Population: Residents in private households
Frequency in the source: annual (2004 to 2024)
Annual value: POF 2017 to 2018, recorded in SIDRA in the period 2018
Values: rate
Seasonal adjustment: not applicable
Revisions: Not reported in the metadata.
Metadata: official lookup (checked on 2026-10-14)

Table with all values (1 periods)

EBIA in the POF 2017 to 2018 (% of residents)
Period	Value	Status	Term in office that year
2018	5.0	final	other government

Download CSV · Original query (SIDRA 6665, variável 2133, categoria 109102)

EBIA in the Continuous PNAD

Food security module of the Continuous PNAD, with the weighting revised in 2025.

Methodology sheet (checked against the official metadata)

Variable: 2133: Residents in private households
Unit in the source: %
Territory: Brazil (N1)
Population: Residents in private households
Frequency in the source: annual (2004 to 2024)
Annual value: Annual module of the Continuous PNAD
Values: rate
Seasonal adjustment: not applicable
Revisions: New 2025 weighting (pending verification in PDF).
Metadata: official lookup (checked on 2026-10-14)

EBIA in the Continuous PNAD. Source: IBGE, Continuous PNAD (SIDRA 6665, variável 2133, categoria 109102), extracted on 2026-10-13. Hollow points: preliminary or partial data. Shaded bands, bounded by dashed lines: years of Lula's terms in office (also marked in the table).

Table with all values (2 periods)

EBIA in the Continuous PNAD (% of residents)
Period	Value	Status	Term in office that year
2023	4.0	final	Lula 3
2024	3.1	final	Lula 3

Download CSV · Original query (SIDRA 6665, variável 2133, categoria 109102)

Series breaks

ebia-pnad × ebia-pof: Same scale (EBIA), different surveys. Shown separately; comparing them requires caution.

According to IBGE, the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) was applied in the supplements of the 2004, 2009, and 2013 PNAD, in the 2017-2018 POF (Household Budget Survey), and, since 2023, in the Continuous PNAD, in the fourth quarter, with a reference period of the three months before collection.^[2]

ebia-pof × ebia-pnadc: Same scale (EBIA), different surveys. Shown separately; comparing them requires caution.

Context and interpretation

In IBGE table 6665, the proportion of private households with severe food insecurity was 6.9% in 2004, 5.0% in 2009, 3.2% in 2013, 4.6% in 2018, 4.1% in 2023, and 3.2% in 2024.^[1]

In the publication Continuous PNAD Food Security 2023, IBGE cautions that comparisons among the 2004, 2009, and 2013 PNAD, the 2017-2018 POF, and the 2023 Continuous PNAD should be made with care, because of differences in the stratification process and in the construction of the expansion factors, and that comparisons based on absolute values may be inappropriate.^[3]

Sources and evidence

Excerpts are quoted in the original language of the source.

1. In IBGE table 6665, the proportion of private households with severe food insecurity was 6.9% in 2004, 5.0% in 2009, 3.2% in 2013, 4.6% in 2018, 4.1% in 2023, and 3.2% in 2024.
- SIDRA Tabela 6665 – Indicador 2.1.2 - Domicílios particulares [...] por situação de segurança alimentar · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: variable 800, category 109102. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “"2004":"6.9"”
- SIDRA Tabela 6665 – Indicador 2.1.2 - Domicílios particulares [...] por situação de segurança alimentar · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: variable 800, category 109102. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “"2009":"5.0"”
- SIDRA Tabela 6665 – Indicador 2.1.2 - Domicílios particulares [...] por situação de segurança alimentar · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: variable 800, category 109102. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “"2013":"3.2"”
- SIDRA Tabela 6665 – Indicador 2.1.2 - Domicílios particulares [...] por situação de segurança alimentar · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: variable 800, category 109102. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “"2018":"4.6"”
- SIDRA Tabela 6665 – Indicador 2.1.2 - Domicílios particulares [...] por situação de segurança alimentar · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: variable 800, category 109102. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “"2023":"4.1"”
- SIDRA Tabela 6665 – Indicador 2.1.2 - Domicílios particulares [...] por situação de segurança alimentar · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: variable 800, category 109102. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  “"2024":"3.2"”
2. According to IBGE, the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) was applied in the supplements of the 2004, 2009, and 2013 PNAD, in the 2017-2018 POF (Household Budget Survey), and, since 2023, in the Continuous PNAD, in the fourth quarter, with a reference period of the three months before collection.
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2023 · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 6 (printed p. 4), Presentation. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “Esta é a quinta série de resultados sobre o tema, sendo as anteriores disponibilizadas pela Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios - PNAD 2004, 2009 e 2013 e pela Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares – POF 2017-2018.”
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2023 · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 7 (printed p. 5), Introduction. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “investigou, no quarto trimestre de 2023, o tema Segurança Alimentar no Brasil, a partir da inclusão de um módulo específico que permitiu uma nova aplicação da Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar - EBIA.”
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2023 · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 9 (printed p. 7), Analysis of results. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “referem-se aos eventos ocorridos nos domicílios segundo o período de referência de três meses que antecederam a coleta de dados da PNAD Contínua no 4º trimestre de 2023.”
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2024 (informativo) · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 1, opening paragraph. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “vem sendo investigado na PNAD Contínua desde 2023, por meio de convênio entre o IBGE e o Ministério do Desenvolvimento e Assistência Social, Família e Combate à Fome, a pesquisa foi a campo no quarto trimestre.”
3. In the publication Continuous PNAD Food Security 2023, IBGE cautions that comparisons among the 2004, 2009, and 2013 PNAD, the 2017-2018 POF, and the 2023 Continuous PNAD should be made with care, because of differences in the stratification process and in the construction of the expansion factors, and that comparisons based on absolute values may be inappropriate.
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2023 · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 9 (printed p. 7), footnote 1. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “Essa divulgação, além dos valores inéditos obtidos pela PNAD Contínua 2023, apresenta também os resultados anteriores do tema quando coletado na PNAD 2004, PNAD 2009, PNAD 2013 e POF 2017-2018.”
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2023 · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 9, footnote 1 (continued). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “As comparações entre as pesquisas devem ser feitas com atenção, em especial por guardarem em seus aspectos metodológicos características próprias quanto ao processo de estratificação e construção dos fatores de expansão.”
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua: Segurança alimentar 2023 · IBGE Official statistics
  Where: PDF p. 9, footnote 1 (continued). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  “Assim, cabe ressaltar que comparações baseadas em valores absolutos podem ser inadequadas, uma vez que os dados estão sujeitos a diferentes ajustes e metodologias. Por essa razão, tais comparações não foram incluídas nas análises.”