Around 690 million people were found hungry in 2019, with highest population in Asia : UN Report
- As per the annual ‘State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’ report, by United Nations, almost 690 million people (8.9% of overall population) went hungry in 2019. This figure is up by 10 million from 2018, and by nearly 60 million in five years.
- This means that more people are going hungry while tens of millions have joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished over the past five years, and countries around the world continue to struggle with multiple forms of malnutrition.
- The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report was released on 13 July 2020.
- It is co-developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
- The report is the most authoritative global study tracking progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition.
- The report also states that the hungry are most numerous in Asia but expanding fastest in Africa.
- Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic could tip over 130 million more people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020.
- High costs and low affordability are also the key reasons why billions cannot eat healthily or nutritiously.