The extent of global famine is increasing drastically. As the Global Hunger Index shows, wars, climate change and the consequences of the pandemic are exacerbating food shortages. The consequences of the Ukraine war have not yet been taken into account. It turns a crisis into a catastrophe, they say.
The number of people going hungry around the world is increasing. As Welthungerhilfe announced when presenting the Global Hunger Index 2022, almost 830 million people are suffering from hunger. Accordingly, conflicts, the climate crisis and the corona pandemic, together with structural causes, are destroying the progress made in combating hunger. Compared to the previous year, the number of people going hungry around the world increased from 811 to as many as 828 million. According to the information, 193 million people suffered from acute hunger.
Data was evaluated up to the year 2021, so the consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine have not yet been statistically taken into account. "The war in Ukraine - with its impact on the world supply of food, fertilizers, fuel and their prices - is turning a crisis into a disaster," it said.
For the index, Welthungerhilfe ranked 121 countries based on the indicators of malnutrition, child mortality, and child wasting and stunting. The civil war country Yemen brought up the rear, where 41.4 percent of the population was undernourished. Hunger was classified as serious in 35 countries and very serious in 9.
The highest rates of hunger were in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Overall hunger levels were considered low in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the region also includes the country, which ranks 116th. In Haiti, 47.2 percent of the population is malnourished. The security, health and supply situation in the Caribbean country is so serious that the government has asked the UN for help through an armed international force. Gangs have been fighting brutally for control of parts of the capital Port-au-Prince for more than a year.
As described in the Global Hunger Index, current conflicts and crises in Haiti and elsewhere are exacerbating existing problems. Chronic vulnerabilities in food systems are being revealed around the world, the report said. Welthungerhilfe emphasized that the systems had to be made fairer, more sustainable and more resilient, and acute emergencies had to be alleviated by increasing financial resources. "It is our duty to act now."
