Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Get in touch with us nowAccording to the Global Hunger Index 2023, which was adopted by the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Central African Republic was the most affected by hunger and malnutrition, with an index of 42.3. Madagascar followed with an index of 41. The World Hunger Index combines three indicators: undernourishment, child underweight, and child mortality.
What can be observed from the countries with the highest Hunger Index scores, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most severely affected by hunger. In the region, more than one fifth of the population is undernourished . In terms of individuals, however, South Asia has the highest number of undernourished people. Globally, there are 735 million people that are considered undernourished or starving.
The term malnutrition includes both undernutrition and overnutrition. Undernutrition occurs when an individual cannot maintain normal bodily functions such as growth, recovering from disease, and both learning and physical work. Some conditions such as diarrhea, malaria, HIV/AIDS are considered can all have a negative impact on undernutrition. Rural and agricultural communities can be especially susceptible to hunger during certain seasons. The annual hunger gap occurs when a family’s food supply may run out before the next season’s harvest is available and can result in malnutrition. Nevertheless, the prevalence of people worldwide that are undernourished has decreased over the last decades, from 18.7 percent in 1990-92 to 9.2 percent in 2022, but it has slightly increased since the outbreak of COVID-19.
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Overview
Poverty gaps and multidimensional poverty
Hunger and starvation
Access to drinking water
Electricity access
Child mortality
Inequality
Further related statistics
* For commercial use only
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1 All prices do not include sales tax. The account requires an annual contract and will renew after one year to the regular list price.