Skip to content
Hunger Statistics Numbers Facts World Starvation

World hunger statistics, facts and figures 2022/2023

Are you looking for meaningful World hunger statistics from scientific studies? As I have compiled the latest facts and figures for you here, you've come to the right place. The right to food is a human right. Nevertheless, the global famine is one of the biggest social problems of our time. The reasons range from climate changenatural disasters and poverty, to nutrition and food waste in industrialized countries.

In this article you will find the most important facts and figures on world hunger, which you can use, for example, to raise awareness in our society.

Here is another short Table of contents about this statistics article:

  1. Starving
  2. Reasons
  3. Future
  4. Studies
  5. Closing words

Notice: The facts and figures surrounding global hunger sound tough - but according to the 2019 Global Hunger Index, the problem is moving from "serious" to "moderate". From a global perspective, we are therefore on the right track, even if there have been slight setbacks in some countries in the meantime. However, environmental problems such as climate change are threatening this fundamentally positive development.

Facts and figures about hungry people

World hunger statistics - Hungry man

First of all, I'll give you the figures on global famine, which show who is actually starving today.

How many people are starving?

  • Around 821 million people worldwide go hungry. That is 11 percent of the world's population.₂
  • Around 2 billion people worldwide suffer from malnutrition.₃
  • Every 9th person does not have the minimum required amount of food available.₄
  • One in twelve people is a malnourished man or boy, and one in five people worldwide is a malnourished woman or girl.₅

When do people go hungry?

  • 1,800 kcal per day is necessary for a healthy life without physical exertion. On average, every German has around 3500 kcal per day at their disposal. That is almost twice as much as necessary.₆

How many children are suffering or dying because of the famine?

  • According to UNICEF, 15 percent of all newborns are born underweight. 161 million children under the age of five are underdeveloped as a result of malnutrition. This means that one in four children under the age of five is affected. Over three quarters of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa (39%) and South Asia (38%).₇
  • Around 3.1 million children under the age of 5 die of hunger every year.₈
  • Every 10 seconds, a child dies as a result of hunger. In addition, 45% of all children who die before the age of 5 die due to malnutrition.₉

Where are particularly many people going hungry?

  • Around ¾ of all people live in rural regions.₁₀
  • Even in industrialized nations, around 16 million people go hungry.₁₁
  • The Central African Republic (53.6 out of 100 points), Yemen (45.9), Chad (44.2) and Madagascar (41.5) are ranked as the countries most affected by hunger and malnutrition in the 2019 Global Hunger Index.₁₂
  • The countries with the largest increases in the number of hungry people between 1990 and 2014 are Swaziland (+57 percent), Iraq (+48 percent), Comoros (+28 percent) and Burundi (+11 percent).₁₃
  • Almost two thirds of people suffering from hunger live in eight countries: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan and Syria.₁₄
  • The largest decreases in the number of hungry people from 1990 to 2014 were achieved by Kuwait (-90 percent), Thailand (-77 percent), Vietnam (-76 percent), and Ghana, Mexico and Venezuela (-71 percent each).₁₅
  • South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the regions with the highest global hunger index values in 2019, at 29.3 and 28.4 respectively.₁₆

Statistics and data on the causes of world hunger

Social problems such as the global famine must be tackled at its roots. So here are some facts and figures on the common causes of world hunger.

How much food is wasted?

  • Around 1.3 billion tons of food are lost or wasted worldwide every year.₁₇
  • 84 percent of Germans who throw away food cited the expired best-before date or spoiled goods as the reason. Other reasons include buying too much food (25 percent), too much product packaging (19 percent) and products that don't taste good (16 percent).₁₈
  • Every year, 356 million kilograms of meat are thrown away in Germany. This means that 45 million chickens, 4 million pigs and 200,000 cattle die for nothing.₁₉
  • In rich countries, people waste around 222 million tons per year. By comparison, the total net food production of sub-Saharan Africa is 230 million tons.₂₀

Which events promote world hunger?

  • Extreme climate events - especially drought - were key triggers of food crises in 23 countries in 2017. Over 39 million people were in urgent need of aid in 2017.₂₁

Notice: The list of causes of world hunger is almost endless. Wars, flight, poverty, food prices, trade structures and the need for investment in agriculture are further reasons. Corruption, land grabbing and rising meat consumption are also among them.

To what extent does a meat-free diet help combat world hunger?

  • Around 61.8 percent of arable land in Germany is used to grow animal feed (livestock farming) and only 21 percent for direct food production.₂₂
  • On average, around seven plant calories are needed to produce one animal calorie.₂₃ By focusing on plant-based foods, we could therefore feed significantly more people.

Tip: If you would like to see more statistics on meat consumption and veganism, then take a look at the articles on Veganism numbers and Vegetarianism numbers in.

Statistics on world hunger in the future

Here I will give you an important UN objective on the subject of world nutrition:

  • The UN's plan is to defeat world hunger by 2030 - Zero Hunger. Despite a strong increasing world populationthat is a realistic goal.₂₄

Tip: If you would also like to do your bit professionally in the fight against world hunger, then take a look at the sustainable job portal from CareElite. There you will find suitable positions with great companies and organizations.

Current studies with facts and figures on world hunger

World hunger studies at a glance

Are you looking for more facts and figures on world hunger? Then you will find some of the most important studies here that you can use for your research:

Notice: The Global Hunger Index is published annually and is an excellent way of comparing developments with one another.

Raising awareness of the problem of world hunger with statistics and facts

World hunger statistics numbers facts - girl

I hope you find the world hunger statistics you were looking for here. Make sure you use the facts and figures to raise awareness of these global problems such as famine in our society. After all, we in Germany are also part of the cause of world hunger by provoking climate change, importing food from poorer countries or wasting it regardless. Take a look at the following articles to help solve the problem:

Do you have questions, suggestions or more facts and figures about world hunger? Then feel free to leave me a comment below this post.

Stay sustainable,

Living plastic-free - Less plastic waste in the environment

PS.: In the Statistics Blog I have provided many more figures for you in addition to the world hunger facts. For example, take a look at the Statistics on plastic waste or the Vegetarian numbers an.

If you use any of the world hunger statistics from this post, please cite the following source. Thank you for your support!

https://www.careelite.de/welthunger-statistiken-fakten/

References:
₁ Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. (2019): WORLD HUNGER INDEX 2019: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS SHARPENING HUNGER, available at https://www.globalhungerindex.org/pdf/de/2019.pdf.

₂,₃,₄,₁₀ Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V.: Hunger: Spread, Causes & Consequences (as of 04.05.2020). https://t1p.de/ijuj. [07.05.2020].

₅ Bread for the World - Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development (2015):
Women hunger differently - gender equity helps combat silent hunger, p.3. Available at https://www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de/fileadmin/mediapool/2_Downloads/Fachinformationen/Sonstiges/FrauenHungernAnders-Broschuere-Web.pdf. [11.11.2019].

₆ Federal Agency for Civic Education (2014): Hunger in der Welt, Youtube, 02.12.2014, Web, 10.11.2019 at 10:03, in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVLbA06Uh2I.

₇,₉ Aktion gegen den Hunger gGmbH: HUNGER: HINTERGRUND UND FAKTEN (as at: 06.05.2019), available at https://www.aktiongegendenhunger.de/hunger. [11.11.2019].

₈ Welthungerhilfe: HUNGER - EXTENT, PREVENTION, CAUSES - The most frequently asked questions on the topic, available at https://www.welthungerhilfe.de/fileadmin/pictures/publications/de/fact_sheets/topics/2016_factsheet_hunger.pdf. [11.11.2019].

₁₁ Federal Agency for Civic Education (2014): Hunger in der Welt, Youtube, 02.12.2014, Web, 10.11.2019 at 10:03, in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVLbA06Uh2I.

₁₂ Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. (2019): WORLD HUNGER INDEX 2019: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS SHARPENING HUNGER, available at https://www.globalhungerindex.org/pdf/de/2019.pdf.

₁₃ Statistia GmbH: Countries with the largest increases and decreases in hunger and malnutrition according to the Global Hunger Index in the period from 1990 to 2014 (as at: 14.10.2014), available at https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/165572/umfrage/entwicklung-des-welthunger-index-in-den-am-staerksten-von-hunger-betroffenen-laendern. [10.11.2019].

₁₄ Action against Hunger gGmbH: HUNGER: BACKGROUND AND FACTS (as at: 06.05.2019), available at https://www.aktiongegendenhunger.de/hunger. [11.11.2019].

₁₅ Statistia GmbH: Countries with the largest increases and decreases in hunger and malnutrition according to the Global Hunger Index in the period from 1990 to 2014 (as at: 14.10.2014), available at https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/165572/umfrage/entwicklung-des-welthunger-index-in-den-am-staerksten-von-hunger-betroffenen-laendern. [10.11.2019].

₁₆ Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. (2019): WORLD HUNGER INDEX 2019: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS SHARPENING HUNGER, available at https://www.globalhungerindex.org/pdf/de/2019.pdf.

₁₇ Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) Gothenburg (2011): Global food losses and food waste, Rome 2011, p.5 (V).

₁₈ Die VERBRAUCHER INITIATIVE e.V.: Lebensmittelmüll in Zahlen, available at http://www.oeko-fair.de/verantwortlich-handeln/lebensmittelverschwendung/lebensmittelverschwendung-in-zahlen. [11.11.2019].

₁₉ Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln: Tons of food in the bin? That sucks! https://www1.wdr.de/verbraucher/ernaehrung/rewind-lebensmittelverschwendung-100.html. [07.10.2019].

₂₀ Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) Gothenburg (2011): Global food losses and food waste, Rome 2011, p.5.

₂₁ Food Security Information Network (FSIN, 2018): Global Report on Food Crisis 2018, p.2.

₂₂ Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft e. V.: Are the animals eating our grain? (as of July 2016). https://www.moderne-landwirtschaft.de/fressen-die-tiere-uns-das-getreide-weg.[09.08.2019].

₂₃ Weick, S.; Brot für die Welt; Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e. V. (2010): Meat consumption (as of March 2010). https://www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de/fileadmin/mediapool/2_Downloads/NIFSA/NIFSA_Kampagnenblatt_Fleischkonsum.pdf. [09.11.2019].

₂₄ United Nations: About the Sustainable Development Goals, available at https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals. [11.11.2019].

Coffee box Suggestions for improvement Newsletter

* Links with asterisks are so-called Affiliate linksIf you click on it and buy something, you automatically and actively support my work with CareElite.de, as I receive a small share of the proceeds - and of course nothing changes in the product price. Many thanks for your support and best regards, Christoph!

Christoph Schulz

Christoph Schulz

I'm Christoph, an environmental scientist and author - and here at CareElite I'm campaigning against plastic waste in the environment, climate change and all the other major environmental problems of our time. Together with other environmentally conscious bloggers, I want to give you tips & tricks for a naturally healthy, sustainable life as well as your personal development.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *