The 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) shows that while the world hasmade gradual progress in reducing hunger on a global scale since2000, this progress has been uneven. Hunger persists in many countries,and in some instances progress is even being reversed. TheGHI highlights where more action is most needed.Global Hunger Is Moving from Serious to ModerateWith a 2019 GHI score of 20.0, the level of hunger and undernutritionworldwide is on the cusp of the moderate and serious categories. Thisscore reflects a decline of 31 percent since 2000, when the globalGHI score was 29.0 and fell into the serious category. Underlying thisimprovement are reductions in each of the four GHI indicatorsâtherates of undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and childmortalityâsince 2000.Areas of Severe Hunger RemainExtreme climatic events, violent conflicts, wars, and economic slowdownsand crises continue to drive hunger in many parts of the world.The number of people who are undernourished actually rose from785 million in 2015 to 822 million in 2018. Nine countries in theGHI in the moderate, serious, alarming, or extremely alarming categorieshave higher scores today than in 2010, including the CentralAfrican Republic, Madagascar, and Yemen.Hunger Is Highest in the Regions of South Asia andAfrica South of the SaharaSouth Asia and Africa South of the Sahara are the regions with the highest2019 GHI scores, at 29.3 and 28.4 respectively, indicating seriouslevels of hunger. In South Asia this score is driven by high rates ofchild undernutrition; in Africa South of the Sahara the score is due tohigh undernourishment and child mortality rates, as well as high childundernutrition. In contrast, the 2019 GHI scores for Eastern Europeand the Commonwealth of Independent States, Latin America andthe Caribbean, East and Southeast Asia, and the Near East and NorthAfrica range from 6.6 to 13.3, indicating low or moderate hunger levels.In Five Countries, Hunger Remains Alarming orExtremely AlarmingAccording to the 2019 GHI, of the countries for which data areavailable, one country, the Central African Republic, suffers from alevel of hunger that is extremely alarming, while four othersâChad,Madagascar, Yemen, and Zambiaâsuffer from levels of hunger thatare alarming. Out of the 117 countries that were ranked, 43 haveserious levels of hunger. The GHI report also looks more closely athunger in Haiti and Niger, both of which have serious levels of hungerand are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.Data Are Missing for Some Countries of ConcernGHI scores could not be calculated for several countries becausedata were not available for all four GHI indicators. In nine of thesecountriesâBurundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea,Libya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syriaâhungerand undernutrition are identified as a cause for significant concern.Addressing Hunger Means UnderstandingSubnational and Local RealitiesInequalities within country borders allow hunger and undernutritionto persist even in countries that appear to be doing well according tonational averages. Subnational data on child stunting are invaluablefor highlighting areas within a country that are losing ground, stagnating,or excelling in the fight against child undernutrition.Climate Change Is a Threat Multiplier for Hungry andUndernourished PeopleSince the early 1990s, the number of extreme weather-related disastershas doubled, reducing the yields of major crops and contributingto food price hikes and income losses. These disasters have disproportionatelyharmed low-income people and their access to food.Looking ahead, climate models project higher average temperaturesin most land and ocean regions, hot extremes in most inhabitedregions, and heavy precipitation and an increasing probability ofdrought in some areasâall additional challenges for reducing hunger.Reducing the Threat Requires Large-scale Action andRadical TransformationEnding hunger and undernutrition in a changing climate demandslarge-scale action to address the inequities exacerbated by climatechange while minimizing environmental changes that could provecatastrophic to human life. It requires us to better prepare for andrespond to disasters, support resilience and adaptation among themost vulnerable groups and regions, address global inequalities, mitigateclimate change without compromising food and nutrition security,make financing for climate action fair and effective, and radicallytransform food systems.
