Hunger Around the World

 811 million people – or 10 percent – of the world’s population go to bed hungry each night, 161 million more than the previous year.

Afghanistan is among the highest levels of food insecurity around the world. At least 37.7 million of its population of 40 million people – 93 percent – do not have enough food.

A record 23 million Afghans face acute hunger, with nearly 9 million a step away from famine, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Two in five children (38 percent) under the age of five face chronic malnutrition – that is inadequate nutrition over a long period of time – which has led to stunted growth. Up to 1 million children under five are at risk of dying from malnutrition.

Yemen is one of the world’s poorest countries. According to the latest figures from the WFP, nearly half of the country (14.3 million) of 30 million people do not have enough food.

Nearly half (47.5 percent) of the country’s children under the age of 5 face chronic malnutrition.

A seven-year war has left at least 4 million people displaced and thousands dead.

After more than 10 years of conflict, Syrians are facing unprecedented levels of poverty and food insecurity. Some 12.4 million Syrians, out of a population of 20 million, do not know where their next meal will come from, an increase of 4.5 million in the last year alone and the highest number ever recorded.

Nearly one in three children (27.9 percent) under the age of 5 are living with chronic malnutrition.

Over the past few weeks, bitter winter conditions have compounded the poverty of millions of displaced people in northwest Syria where the cost of living has skyrocketed over the past year.

South Sudan is suffering its highest levels of food insecurity and malnutrition since independence in 2011.

According to the WFP, more than half the population (6.6 million out of 11 million) have insufficient food. One in three children under five suffers chronic malnutrition.

The continued conflict and the worst flooding in decades have wreaked havoc on vulnerable communities.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has the largest number of highly food insecure people in the world: some 43.3 million out of the population of 106 million.

According to Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 27 million people in the DRC are highly food insecure, with 857,000 children and 468,000 women likely suffering from acute malnutrition.

Somalia's deteriorating security conditions and a crippling dry season has left upwards of 90 percent (11.4 million) of the East African country’s 12.3 million people hungry.

According to Famine Early Warning Systems, people have experienced not only a decrease in food supply and income, but also a prolonged drought, flooding in early 2020, a desert locust surge, the economic impact of COVID-19, and security issues with armed groups. 

Infographic: Hunger and food insecurity in maps and charts | Infographic News | Al Jazeera