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820 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, and the level of hunger in Africa rose by nearly 20

Original title: 820 million people are starving! United Nations: hunger levels in Africa rose nearly 20% last year source: 21st Century Business Herald

A grim figure shows that the number of hungry people around the world is on the rise.

On July 15, the United Nations released the 2019 world food security and nutrition report in New York, which pointed out that the hunger level in Africa had increased by nearly 20% in 2018, and the malnutrition was very serious.

Globally, after a continuous decline of nearly a decade, the number of hungry people in the world has rebounded slowly in the past three years. At present, a total of 820 million people cannot get enough food, accounting for nearly one ninth of the total global population. This figure was 785.4 million, 796.5 million and 811.7 million from 2015 to 2017.

The number of hungry people is rising

The two main factors leading to the rise in the number of hungry people are economic recession and inequality.

The above report points out that hunger levels are rising in many countries where economic growth has slowed. This is especially true in some middle-income countries and countries that rely heavily on commodity exports. In addition, income inequality in these countries is also increasing, making it more difficult for poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups to cope with food insecurity caused by poor economic conditions.

The situation has deteriorated significantly in some regions, particularly in Africa. The report points out that in 2018, the level of hunger in Africa increased by nearly 20%. In addition, although the proportion of hungry people in Latin America and the Caribbean remains below 7 per cent, this figure is slowly climbing. Nearly 15% of the population in South Asia is still in a state of food insecurity, and the number of malnourished people ranks first in the world.

If we refer to the 2019 global food crisis report released by the United Nations in April, in 2018, about 113 million people in 53 countries in the world still suffered from severe hunger. Nearly two thirds of them are concentrated in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In addition, the proportion of severe hunger remained unchanged or increased in 17 countries.

At the same time, obesity has become a worldwide problem. According to the United Nations, more than 670 million people worldwide are obese. Extreme inequalities are emerging in global food production and distribution - some are hungry and some are overeating.

2 billion people barely survive

In addition to the hungry population, this year's report introduces a new monitoring indicator of 'moderate or severe food insecurity' for the first time.

The so-called moderately food insecure groups refer to those who cannot ensure regular access to adequate and nutritious food, are uncertain about whether they can continue to obtain food in the future, and have to make ends meet by reducing the quality or quantity of food they eat, 'even if they are not necessarily hungry, they are also facing a serious risk of malnutrition and poor health'.

The report estimates that more than 2 billion people in the world are in this state, most of them live in low-income and middle-income countries, but high-income countries in North America and Europe also account for 8% of the total population, and the proportion of women is slightly higher than that of men.

Starvation can lead to a series of problems. The report points out that the number of stunted children under the age of five has decreased by 10% in the past six years, but this speed is still not enough to achieve the goal of halving the number of stunted children worldwide by 2030.

The lack of security, self-esteem and the possibility of sustainable development is another big problem.

A case is introduced on the WeChat official account of the United Nations Food Programme, which is more than 20 year old ·. Hussein was alone with three children. After her husband died in the war, she moved to a safer place with her children, but she could only live on the alms of her neighbors. " These foods are not delicious in my mouth, because I know they are given to me by others who pity me. "