New Delhi: In 2023, 733 million people, or about one in eleven, globally suffered from hunger, according to the most recent State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, which was released on Wednesday by UN agencies.
The scale of the hunger crisis is daunting. The analysis predicts that 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030. This figure underscores the gravity of the situation, a grim reminder of the world’s failure to meet the second Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger.
The annual study also reveals that undernourishment levels are similar to those in 2008–2009, indicating a fifteen-year global regression.
The number of people experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition is concerning, as global hunger levels have stabilised for three years running. Between 713 and 757 million people were undernourished in 2023, roughly 152 million more than in 2019 when the mid-range of 733 million people is considered. This is despite some progress being made in specific areas like stunting and exclusive breastfeeding.
Additionally, the data indicated that the proportion of hungry people in Africa (20.4%) is still rising.
Even if it is stable in Asia (8.1%), the region still poses a big problem because it is home to over half of the world’s hungry people.
Notably, the survey revealed 6.2% progress in Latin America.
“We are off track on all indicators. That’s clear. If we project today’s numbers, we will have up to 582 million chronically undernourished or hungry by 2030. This is half a billion more than the target, which is ‘Zero Hunger’,” said Maximo Torero, Chief Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
“We need to accelerate the process and change to get as close as possible to our target, which was very ambitious from the beginning. We only have six years left. Now, if I observe all the different regions and see what has happened in South America, I see that this is possible,” he added.
In the meantime, the report made clear that billions of people still lack access to enough food.
In 2023, 2.33 billion people worldwide had moderate-to-severe food insecurity; this figure has not moved much since the dramatic increase in 2020 related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the report, over 864 million of them suffered from extreme food insecurity, often going without food for a whole day or more.
The paper also emphasised the intricate problems associated with malnutrition in all of its manifestations, including poor rates of breastfeeding, low birth weight, wasting, and anaemia. These issues not only affect physical health but also have long-term implications for cognitive development and future prospects.
The UN’s call for targeted interventions is a stark reminder of the importance of specific actions. With the world off track to reach any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030, urgent and targeted interventions are needed to address the global hunger crisis.
–IANS
