258M people faced food insecurity last year: UN

A new report by the United Nations found that more than 258 million people faced food insecurity last year.

The number marks a significant increase — approximately 34 percent — from 2021, when about 193 million people worldwide faced food insecurity. The increase may be at least in part attributed to a higher number of countries analyzed in the U.N. report, which analyzed 58 countries in 2022 and 53 countries in 2021.

“In fact, we are moving in the wrong direction. Conflicts and mass displacement continue to drive global hunger. Rising poverty, deepening inequalities, rampant underdevelopment, the climate crisis and natural disasters also contribute to food insecurity,” Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres said in the report’s foreword.

“As always, it is the most vulnerable who bear the brunt of this failure, facing soaring food prices that were aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and, despite some declines, are still above 2019 levels due to the war in Ukraine,” he said.

This is the fourth consecutive year that food insecurity rates have increased, the report found. The key drivers of food insecurity last year were conflict, such as the war in Ukraine, economic shocks and extreme weather, including droughts.

The report said 42 out of the 58 countries analyzed are in “major food crises” with more than 1 million people or 20 percent of their population in Phase 3 of food insecurity, which is the “crisis” stage.

Guterres said “collective action” can reverse the effects of the food crisis.

“We have the data and know-how to build a more resilient, inclusive, sustainable world where hunger has no home — including through stronger food systems, and massive investments in food security and improved nutrition for all people, no matter where they live,” he said.