World Hunger Dramatically Worsened in Pandemic Year

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations [UN] on Monday lamented a “dramatic worsening” of world hunger last year, saying much of that is likely connected to the pandemic.

The international organization urged billions of dollars to save millions of people from starving.

A report issued jointly by five UN agencies mentioned that hunger outpaced population growth in 2020, with nearly 10% of all people estimated to be undernourished.

It said the sharpest rise in hunger came in Africa, where 21% of the people, 282 million, are estimated to be undernourished.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the new “tragic data” shows that between 720 million and 811 million people in the world faced hunger last year, as many as 161 million more than in 2019.

More than 2.3 billion people, which represents 30% of the global population, lacked year-round access to adequate food, according to the report. This indicator, known as the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity, leaped in one year as much as in the five previous years combined.

“Despite a 300% increase in global food production since the mid-1960s, malnutrition is a leading factor contributing to reduced life expectancy,” Guterres said. “In a world of plenty, we have no excuse for billions of people to lack access to a healthy diet. This is unacceptable.”