About 733 million people faced hunger in 2023 — Report

Approximately 733 million people in 2023 grappled with hunger globally, a new survey conducted by five specialised agencies of the United Nations, has revealed.

According to the report, titled “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)”, and authored 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), the world is falling significantly short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2—Zero Hunger, by 2030.

The SOFI report indicated that the figure implies that one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa faced extreme hunger last year.

The new report, published on Wednesday, revealed that the world has been set back 15 years in the quest to eradicate hunger, with levels of undernourishment comparable to records of 2008-2009.

Despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, the UN agencies explained that an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years.

It noted that between 713 and 757 million people were undernourished in 2023, implying approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).

“Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 per cent), remains stable in Asia (8.1 per cent)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide —and shows progress in Latin America (6.2 per cent),” the report said.

From 2022 to 2023, the United Nations said hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.

Concerns

In February, PREMIUM TIMES reported how in the past year, international agencies have continued to sound an alarm over surges in food insecurity that are plunging millions of people into extreme hunger, malnutrition and threats to their overall health.

The U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) described it “a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions.”

This worrying trend has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate shocks and conflicts including the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2023 report on global food security and nutrition — released in July, months before the conflict in Gaza — some 735 million people faced hunger in 2022, an increase of 122 million people compared with 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

The Caribbean, Western Asia and all subregions of Africa experienced the most alarming increases in these hunger levels. Worldwide, more than 3.1 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, according to the report. That’s 42 per cent of the world’s population and a significant increase over pre-COVID levels.

If current trends continue, the UN agencies warned that about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa, adding that the projection closely resembles the levels seen in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, marking a concerning stagnation in progress.

Key findings beyond hunger

The SOFI report highlights that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions, and that in 2023, around 2.3 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of this figure, the report acknowledged that over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times.

“This number has remained stubbornly high since 2020 and while Latin America shows improvement, broader challenges persist, especially in Africa where 58 per cent of the population is moderately or severely food insecure,” the UN agencies said.

It stated that the lack of economic access to healthy diets also remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the global population.

With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity, the report said, is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5 per cent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 per cent in high-income countries.

Notably, the report found that the number dropped below pre-pandemic levels in Asia and in Northern America and Europe, while it increased substantially in Africa.

“While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets will be a challenge,” the report said.

It said low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15 per cent , and stunting among children under five, while declining to 22.3 per cent , still falls short of achieving targets.

Additionally, the report said the prevalence of wasting among children has not seen significant improvement while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased.

“Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. Major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe,” the report said.

It noted that these issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.

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In his reaction to the report, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said “transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years

“We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against hunger and poverty, to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world,” he said.

On his part, IFAD President, Alvaro Lario, said the fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. However, he said the global and financial landscape has become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015.

“Ending hunger and malnutrition demands that we invest more – and more smartly. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most,” he said.

Similarly, UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said “Malnutrition affects a child’s survival, physical growth, and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third, or 55 million, in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off.

“Yet globally, one in four children under the age of five suffers from undernutrition, which can lead to long-term damage. We must urgently step-up financing to end child malnutrition. The world can and must do it. It is not only a moral imperative but also a sound investment in the future.”

Meanwhile, WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain, said a future free from hunger is possible “if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions”.

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She called on G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s example and prioritise ambitious global action on hunger and poverty.

“We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity – but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale. WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity,” she said.

In his remarks, WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said “the progress we have made on reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding shows that the challenges we face are not insurmountable”.

“We must use those gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world endure every day from hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets and malnutrition,” he said.