Global Hunger Hits Alarm Bells as 733 Million Face Food Crisis in 2023

In 2023, approximately 733 million people experienced hunger, representing one in eleven globally and one in five in Africa. This alarming statistic is part of the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, released on July 24,2024, by five United Nations specialized agencies.

The annual report, launched during the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, indicates a troubling trend. The world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, by 2030. Hunger levels in 2023 mirror those of 2008-2009, showing a 15-year setback.

While some progress has been made in areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, global hunger levels have remained stagnant for the past three years. Between 713 and 757 million people were undernourished in 2023, an increase of approximately 152 million since 2019.

The report reveals significant regional differences: hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4%), remains stable in Asia (8.1%), and shows improvement in Latin America (6.2%). From 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.

If these trends persist, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, with half of them in Africa. This projection highlights a worrying stagnation in progress since 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted.

In 2023, around 2.33 billion people worldwide faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has remained relatively unchanged since the COVID-19 pandemic's onset in 2020. Of these, over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, often going without food for an entire day or more.

Economic access to healthy diets remains a significant issue, affecting over one-third of the global population. In 2022, more than 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet, with the disparity most pronounced in low-income countries. While some regions, like Asia and Northern America and Europe, have seen improvements, Africa has experienced a substantial increase in this issue.

Despite a rise in exclusive breastfeeding rates to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets remains challenging. Low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15%, and stunting among children under five has declined to 22.3%, but this still falls short of targets. The prevalence of wasting among children has not significantly improved, and anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 has increased.

Adult obesity has steadily risen over the last decade, from 12.1% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2022, with projections indicating more than 1.2 billion obese adults by 2030. The coexistence of undernutrition and obesity, known as the double burden of malnutrition, has surged globally across all age groups.

The report emphasizes the urgent need for targeted interventions to address malnutrition in all its forms. Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to factors such as food price inflation, conflict, climate change, and economic downturns. These issues, coupled with unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments, and persistent inequality, are amplifying each other’s effects.

This year’s report theme, "Financing to end hunger, food insecurity, and all forms of malnutrition," stresses the necessity of a multi-faceted approach. Transforming agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all are critical. Increased and more cost-effective financing is crucial, with a standardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition.

UN agency heads, including FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, IFAD President Alvaro Lario, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain, and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlight the importance of mobilizing innovative financing to bridge the gap in food security and nutrition. They emphasize that policies, legislation, and interventions to end hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious food are not only investments in the future but also obligations.

The report underscores the need for innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts. Among the 119 low- and middle-income countries analyzed, 63% have limited or moderate access to financing, with 74% impacted by one or more major factors contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition.

Coordinated efforts to harmonize data, increase risk tolerance, and enhance transparency are vital to bridge this gap and strengthen global food security and nutrition frameworks.