Percentage of households living with food insecurity (2022/23 & 2023/24)
Last updated: July 2025
Next estimated update: May 2026
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the proportion of people experiencing food insecurity, split by the type of household. We can use it to see how many people in London and the rest of England are struggling to access enough affordable and nutritious food, and which household types are most likely to be in food insecurity.
What is food insecurity?
Someone is counted as experiencing food insecurity if they or their household members have at times had their food intakes disrupted or reduced, or that they reduced the quality, variety or desirability of their diets because of a lack of money or resources
What does it tell us?
Food insecurity has increased significantly
In the last year, food insecurity has increased significantly in London - from 8.6% to 10.6% of households. This means that the level of food insecurity in London has increased by 23%, in just one year.
It has also increased in the rest of England, but not to the same extent - from 9.1% to 9.7%.
This significant increase illustrates the increased pressure households are facing because of high costs, such as rising energy costs and, especially in London, the housing crisis.
Most common among households with multiple children
The change has been especially stark for families with three or more children. In 2022/23, 19.7% of these families experienced food insecurity. In 2023/24, it had increased to 26.1%.
This is significantly higher than any other group shown here, and also higher than households with multiple children in the rest of England. Many of these households will be affected by the two-child benefit limit, highlighting the impact of the policy, and the strain that many families are under.
