How widespread is global hunger?

Hunger is a global problem impacting hundreds of millions of people, mostly in lower-middle income countries. While hunger typically relates to short term discomfort, chronic hunger or undernourishment is defined as lasting more than a year with persons unable to consume enough food to maintain a normal and healthy life. Undernourishment, especially in children and mothers, is a leading risk factor for health issues or even death.

Poverty is a main cause of undernourishment. Lacking access to resources and income can make it difficult to obtain enough quality food. But undernourishment can also cause poverty. Poor health, low energy levels and reduced body weight can reduce a persons ability to work and learn, leading to even greater undernourishment. Because they are so interconnected, solutions to poverty and hunger are complementary, with improvements to one typically improving the other.

Weather extremes, natural disasters, infectious diseases and conflicts also contribute to increased levels of undernourishment. The abrupt displacement of entire populations can have a significant impact on the ability of people to find adequate amounts of food.

The chart below shows the prevalence of people living with undernourishment as a percent of the world population.