As the world continues to grapple with the effects of conflict, climate, and economic instability, new UN figures show up to 757 million people globally experienced hunger in 2023.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, released today, shows that global hunger shot up during the COVID pandemic, and has remained at high levels for the past three years. One out of 11 people in the world continue to be impacted by hunger, and startlingly, more than two billion people have trouble affording nutritious food on a regular basis.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the number of people globally who are experiencing hunger remaining so high, despite the efforts that local partners around the world are investing into turning the tide on this crisis. The world must step up to end global hunger for the 757 million people whose daily reality includes not knowing where their next meal will come from,” says Canadian Foodgrains Bank executive director Andy Harrington.
While the number of people going hungry increased in Africa last year, it’s encouraging to see fewer people are facing hunger in South America. This is largely due to investments by South American governments into social safety nets, showing that policy choices can be effective in reducing hunger.
But the degree of hunger faced by certain communities could trigger bigger problems in these countries and their neighbors. Hunger can lead to political instability and can increase conflict and migration across borders, as people take desperate measures to meet their family’s needs.
This year’s report highlighted a significant gap between global humanitarian needs and the financing needed to implement robust, efficient programming. The countries most impacted by hunger are the same countries that have the least access to financing.
Harrington says he wants to see governments, private sector companies, and NGOs working together in a more concerted effort with the support of Canadians to fill those gaps as we approach the 2030 deadline for Zero Hunger (SDG2).
“If the world hopes to live sustainably in terms of our food system, we must wake up to the reality that funding for humanitarian work in the face of rising needs should be re-assessed. If we can ensure investments are both increased and prioritized to the places where people are being most impacted by hunger, there’s still time for us to make a significant impact on decreasing these numbers – as we’ve been able to do before.”
