Tag: Sustainable development goals

According to the World Bank, in 2025, 1.4 million people faced catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, even though the world produces enough food to feed its entire population. This stark reality highlights why is there a need of equal distribution of food, revealing a fundamental systemic failure rather than a scarcity of resources.

Over 60% of chronically hungry people are women and girls, a stark indicator that food insecurity is profoundly impacted by equality, or more accurately, the lack thereof. Genuine progress towards global food security is fundamentally tied to achieving and sustaining social, economic, and gender equality. A system that functions unequally by design will produce unequal outcomes, creating a vicious cycle of poverty and hunger.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023. This shocking statistic sets the stage for a deeper look into which country has the most undernourished people, an answer that depends heavily on how hunger is measured: by total population or by percentage.

According to a 2024 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 733 million people were undernourished, highlighting the urgent need for a more equitable food system. This pressing issue is precisely what is the good food for all agenda designed to address, aiming to ensure everyone has access to healthy, affordable, and sustainable food.

In 2024, nearly 2.3 billion people faced moderate or severe food insecurity, highlighting the urgency of global action. To combat this persistent crisis, the United Nations launched the ambitious Zero Hunger Challenge, defining what are the 5 elements of the Zero Hunger Challenge to rally global commitment.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition—in all its forms—is one of the world’s most serious and least-addressed developmental challenges. It encompasses undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity, presenting a complex global health crisis. While global efforts have reduced some forms, progress has stalled or reversed in many regions, leaving billions affected.

In 2024, an estimated 673 million people experienced chronic hunger, equating to about 8.2% of the global population, despite the world producing enough food to feed everyone. Understanding how common is hunger requires looking beyond these sobering figures to the complex factors driving this humanitarian crisis.

According to UNICEF data, approximately one in three children globally is not growing well due to some form of malnutrition, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive intervention. UNICEF's Nutrition Strategy 2020–2030 outlines a rights-based, system-wide approach to tackle this complex issue over the next decade. It commits to ending malnutrition in all its forms, expanding its traditional focus to include the entire life cycle, and strengthening health and food systems to support child nutrition.

Since its first edition in 2014, the Global Nutrition Report has documented that progress towards global nutrition targets is unacceptably slow, with significant inequalities persisting across the world. The Global Nutrition Report is a comprehensive, independent annual review that provides an in-depth analysis of the state of global nutrition, aiming to inspire action and improve accountability.

While the world's population has more than doubled since 1970, the proportion of undernourished people has significantly decreased overall. However, this long-term progress masks a more complex reality, as recent years have seen alarming setbacks, leading many to question: Has world hunger increased since 1970?