UN study reveals alarming surge in global hunger

The report, titled "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World," highlights that the number of people facing hunger ranged between 691 and 783 million in 2022, with a mid-range estimate of 735 million. This represents an increase of 122 million people compared to 2019, posing a significant threat to the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger.

"Overall, we need an intense and immediate global effort to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We must build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity – from conflict to climate change," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message launching the report.

It shows that hunger rose in Western Asia, the Caribbean and across Africa, where one in five people—more than twice the global average — faced hunger. Only Asia and Latin America observed progress in improving food security.

In addition to rising hunger, the capacity of people to access healthy diets has also deteriorated across the world. More than 3.1 billion people globally will be unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021, the report issued jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Malnutrition among children

According to the report, 148 million children under five were stunted (a condition marked by low height per age), 45 million were wasted (low weight), and 37 million were overweight, often an indicator of poor nutrition.

"Malnutrition is a major threat to children’s survival, growth, and development," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.

Children’s malnutrition also displays differently in urban and rural settings, the report added, noting that the prevalence of child stunting was higher in the countryside (35.8 percent) than in urban areas (22.4 percent).

Similarly, wasting was higher in rural areas (10.5 percent) compared to urban areas (7.7 percent), while being overweight is slightly more prevalent in urban areas (5.4 percent) compared to rural areas (3.5 percent).

"The scale of the nutrition crisis demands a stronger response focused on children, including prioritizing access to nutritious and affordable diets and essential nutrition services, protecting children and adolescents from nutrient-poor, ultra-processed foods, and strengthening food and nutrition supply chains, including for fortified and therapeutic foods for children," Russell said. (ILKHA)