Some 811 million people, a tenth of the world's population, are undernourished. The emergence of COVID-19 has exacerbated the precariousness in which the poorest populations live. Africa is the continent with the greatest increase in hunger. The UN calls for the transformation of food systems in order to eradicate hunger by 2030.
The economic crisis of 2020, derived in large part from the COVID-19 pandemic, triggered one of the largest increases in world hunger in decades, affecting almost all low- and middle-income countries. In some regions - particularly in Africa and Asia - this recession was compounded by other factors, such as weather-related disasters, conflict or a combination of both, greatly increasing the rate of undernourished people, reveals a new UN inter-agency study.
Hunger by region
Of the total number of undernourished people in 2020, more than half (418 million) live in Asia and more than a third (282 million) in Africa, while Latin America and the Caribbean is home to 8% (60 million). Compared to 2019, 46 million more people in Africa, nearly 57 million more in Asia and about 14 million more in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by hunger in 2020.
These data mean that one in five people (21% of the population) faced hunger in Africa in 2020, more than double the proportion of any other region, representing an increase of 3 percentage points in one year. It was followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (9.1%) and Asia (9%), with increases of 2 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively, between 2019 and 2020.
Even in North America and Europe, where the lowest rates of food insecurity are found, the incidence of the ballast increased for the first time since the beginning of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale data collection in 2014. Regarding the gender affectation of moderate or severe food insecurity, a 10% higher rate was observed among women than among men in 2020 , compared to 6% recorded in 2019.
Children
Among the populations most affected by undernutrition are children under five years of age. Although specific data on this group were limited in 2020 and estimates do not necessarily take into account the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 149.2 million (22%) were stunted in 2020. Nearly three-quarters of them live in Central and South Asia (37%) and sub-Saharan Africa (37%).
In the same year, about 5.7% (38.9 million) of children under five years of age were overweight, with a tendency to increase in some regions and in many settings around the world.
On the other hand, obesity in adults continues to grow, with global prevalence rising from 11.7% in 2012 to 13.1% in 2016. All subregions showed increasing trends in adult obesity between 2012 and 2016 and are far from meeting the World Health Assembly 2025 target of halting the increase by 2025.
No nutrition services
The report acknowledges the difficulties countries face in ensuring that health, food, education, and social protection systems maintain essential nutrition services while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and reports that a survey on the status of children during the pandemic showed that 90% of nations (122 out of 135) reported a change in coverage of key nutrition services in August 2020.
It adds that, overall, coverage of essential nutrition services declined by 40%, and almost half of the countries recorded a reversal of at least 50% of nutritional interventions.
Although data on nutritional outcomes for 2020 are lacking, more moderate projections point to a scenario in which 11.2 million children under five in low- and middle-income countries would be added to the total number of those suffering from wasting from 2020 to 2022 as a result of the pandemic.
A more pessimistic scenario raises to 16.3 million more children affected by the scourge. For child stunting, the model predicts that 3.4 million additional children will be stunted due to the effects of the pandemic by 2022.
The data were extracted from the United Nations:
https://news.un.org/es/story/2021/07/1494232
World Hunger: Key Facts and Statistics
Covid-19 felt like the biggest health crisis in 100 years, and yet, it’s easy to forget about a problem that dwarfs even the most deadly of diseases: extreme hunger. In a bid to highlight the depth of the international hunger crisis, Delivery Rank has compiled all of the most important facts and statistics on world hunger in 2021.
World hunger has been a significant issue since records began, and over the last century, mankind has taken huge strides towards solving the crisis. But more needs to be done. The world produces enough food to feed all 7.7 billion inhabitants, yet millions of children still go to bed hungry every night.
This article will provide facts and stats on the state of hunger in some of the poorest regions in the world. We’ll cover the biggest contributors to world hunger, hunger’s effect on children, the role of Covid-19, and what can be done, both on a personal level and an institutional level, to help resolve what is the biggest humanitarian crisis on planet Earth.
What is Hunger?
Before we get into the main content of this article, we must highlight some key terms and definitions.
Often, when people talk about ‘hunger’ they are referring to the feeling of ‘being hungry.’ However, hunger is a complex term, and it consists of several different aspects and ‘mini-definitions.’
According to the WHO, ‘hunger’ can be broadly referred to as:
‘the term used to define periods when populations are experiencing severe food insecurity—meaning that they go for entire days without eating due to lack of money, lack of access to food, or other resources.’ The WHO also states that hunger is synonymous with ‘chronic undernourishment.’
Hunger can be defined, in part, by the distress associated with this lack of proper nutrition, or access to food.
Hunger consists of several different elements. Each element, explained in detail below, could be used to describe the topic of hunger on its own, but it is probably best to think of ‘hunger’ as the combination of all of these terms.
Undernourishment
Refers to an individual’s caloric intake. When someone consumes less than 1800 calories per day, they are considered undernourished.
Undernutrition
Does not refer specifically to calories, but instead highlights an individual’s deficiencies in energy, protein, and/or essential vitamins and minerals.
Malnutrition
Refers more generally to the issue of an unbalanced diet. Encompassed within Malnutrition is undernutrition and overnutrition.
Starvation
The most severe, and damaging, form of malnutrition. When someone is starving, their caloric intake is less than what is required to sustain life. Starvation over a prolonged time can cause irreparable damage to the individual’s body, potentially resulting in death. This is called inanition.
Food security
Refers to the availability of food to populations or individuals, and how well people can access food that meets their preferences and dietary needs. If someone has adequate food security, they have enough safe and nutritious food to support an active and healthy lifestyle.
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https://www.deliveryrank.com/blog/world-hunger-facts-statistics
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