Global hunger levels are down by 27 percent since 2000 yet they remain at “serious,” “alarming” or “extremely alarming” levels in 52 countries, said the think tank International Food Policy Research Institute in releasing its Global Hunger Index. Beyond the immediate impact of food shortages and climate change, “long-term obstacles to reducing hunger in several countries may also be threatening efforts to reach zero hunger,” said IFPRI.
The hunger index is based on four indicators: Undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting and child stunting. Some 119 developing nations were rated in the new edition of the index. The countries with the highest ratings were Central African Republic, Chad, Sierra Leone, Madagascaar, Zambia, Yemen, Sudan, Liberia, Niger and Timor.
The Central African Republic was the first nation to fall into the “extremely alarming” category since 2014. “The country has the same score today as it did in 2000, suggesting any progress it made in recent years has been subsequently reversed,” said IFPRI. Half of the population of the CAR is undernourished.
For a fact sheet on the Global Hunger Index, click here.
A multimedia version of the 2017 report is available here.