Global hunger continues to rise with Africa worst hit – UN report

The population of hungry people is rising across the world, a UN report has shown, with more than a quarter of them in Africa.

Out of the 821 million people who faced shortage of food in 2017, 257 million were found in the continent.

A new report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World released on Tuesday showed that world hunger rose in 2017 for the third consecutive year, fuelled by conflict and climate change.

According to the report, hunger is worsening in South America and most regions of Africa as one in nine people went hungry in 2017.


The steady rise in number is fast jeopardising the global goal to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030, the UN warned.

According to the report co-authored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN partner agencies (IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO), limited progress has been made in addressing the multiple forms of malnutrition, putting the health of hundreds of millions of people at risk.

The study noted that hunger has been on the rise over the past three years returning to levels from a decade ago.

“This reversal in progress sends a clear warning that more must be done and urgently if the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger is to be achieved by 2030, the agencies said.

Based on happening in the country, Nigeria contributes to this high figure.

Nigeria has the highest prevalence rate of stunted under-five children in sub-Saharan Africa, with about 17. 2 million children affected.