COVID-19 Pandemic Deepens Global Hunger, 828 Million People Affected By Hunger In 2021

Around 2.3 billion people (29.3% of the global population) faced food insecurity in 2021, 350 million more compared to before the COVID 19 outbreak.

The number of people affected by hunger globally has risen dramatically since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A United Nations report has raised alarm that the world is moving backwards in efforts to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

The latest edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report revealed that as many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the UN report, the proportion of people affected by hunger jumped to 9.8 per cent of the world population in 2021, as compared to 8 per cent in 2019 (which had remained unchanged since 2015) and 9.3 per cent in 2020.

It was in 2015 when the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030 was launched under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

More than 2 billion people face food insecurity

The COVID 19 pandemic has also worsened food insecurity worldwide. In 2021

Around 2.3 billion people in the world (29.3 per cent) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021, an increase of 350 million since the outbreak of the pandemic. Nearly 924 million people (11.7 per cent of the global population) faced food insecurity at severe levels, 207 million more from two years earlier.

Further, the report highlighted the gender gap in food insecurity which continues to widen globally. In 2021, 31.9 per cent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 27.6 per cent of men. The gap was 3 percentage points in 2020.

Over 3 billion people could not afford a healthy diet

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it have had a great impact on the global economy, leading to the inflation in consumer food prices. The impact was reflected in the UN report, which stated that almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2019.

As pe the report, about 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, which increases children's risk of death by up to 12 times. Moreover, 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets, while 39 million were overweight.

The report estimated that nearly 670 million people (8 per cent of the world population) will still be facing hunger in 2030, even if a global economic recovery is taken into consideration.

"Every year, 11 million people die due to unhealthy diets. Rising food prices mean this will only get worse," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He appeals to countries to work together to achieve the 2030 global nutrition targets.

The 2022 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report was jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).