- According to the annual UN report titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018” released on September 11, 2018, more people went hungry in 2017 than at any time in the previous decade as food deprivation on the rise due to conflict and climate change.
- The report was jointly produced by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Key facts and figures
- Number of hungry people in 2017 in the:
- world: 821 million or 1 in every 9 people
- Asia: 515 million
- Africa: 256.5 million
- Latin America and the Caribbean: 39 million
- Children under 5 affected by stunting (low height-for-age): 150.8 million (22.2%)
- Children under 5 affected by wasting (low weight-for-height): 50.5 million (7.5%)
- Children under 5 who are overweight (high weight-for-height): 38.3 million (5.6%)
- Percentage of women of reproductive age affected by anaemia: 32.8%
- Percentage of infants aged below 6 months who were exclusively breastfed: 40.7%
- Adults who are obese: 672 million (13% or 1 in 8 adults)