No one can deny that progress towards the eradication of hunger is too slow. The number of undernourished people reported in this edition of The state of food insecurity in the world has not declined since last year's issue. This underlines the urgency of immediate, determined and truly effective action.
The problem of hunger can be viewed from two broad perspectives. One is the view of the mayor or village chief, who sees the faces of the hungry every day and knows that, with the proper tools and resources, they could feed themselves. The other is the view of the statesperson in the national capital or the international agency. He or she sees the statistics and the causes of hunger and knows that, with the proper policies, the villager could obtain the necessary tools and resources.
Both views, the local and the global, must orient action. We must target and tailor specific remedies to the diverse needs of the groups in every society who are vulnerable to or suffer from hunger. We must also address the policies and enabling environments at the national and international levels that hamper people's ability to find the opportunities and the means to conduct their own fight against hunger and poverty. There is no one "way ahead" - there are many.
SOFI 2000 moves beyond overall statistics by pinpointing more narrowly the specific groups who are vulnerable. This edition presents, for the first time, indicators of the depth of people's hunger and statistics on the number of hungry in the countries in transition. It also uses nutritional measures to highlight potential problems for women which, inevitably cause problems for the children they bear.
Helping the hungriest |
This refining of information is an important tool for policy-makers. It will allow them to move forward in a more focused way, directing their actions and resources more precisely and effectively to the places where the need is greatest. Local action, even if well targeted, can only be effective if the policy environment at both national and international levels offers food-insecure countries and their people a set of choices to help them move beyond the margin of survival. The Plan of Action of the World Food Summit of 1996 indicates the way ahead.
At the same time, countries must also take up this task. Systematic collection of reliable data on the state of food insecurity in every nation is crucial if they are to follow through on the promises made at the Summit.
Action is particularly urgent in 82 low-income, food-deficit countries. Many of them have neither the capacity to produce all the food they need nor the foreign exchange to import it. Many of them are also heavily indebted to foreign creditors, which drains away the few resources available to invest in development. The burden of debt servicing and repayment severely limits their options both for meeting the urgent needs of their deprived populations and for making lasting improvements that lift people out of hunger.
However, there is some good news. The international financing institutions and the donor community have recently given much greater emphasis to the use of debt relief in the fight against poverty. In particular, the debt relief initiative of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), launched in 1996, was further strengthened this year to provide substantially more relief. Under the initiative, eligible countries are relieved of debt servicing obligations - subject to the condition that the money saved is channelled to poverty reduction and other social investments for the poorest segments of their societies.
Many food-insecure people live in rural areas, where they are dependent on agriculture and related industries for their livelihoods. Debt relief can spur progress towards reducing hunger, provided the resources freed up are used,not only to feed the hungry now, but also to put countries and communities on to a longer-term path of sustainable development by investing in food security. SOFI 2000 shows that creating sustainable productivity improvements and building on the strengths of community action constitute a way forward that will benefit the poor in the countryside as well as in the cities.
At its most basic level, the way ahead is a matter of creating the conditions that enable people to secure their right to adequate food in a dignified manner. The immediate goal must be to lift the constraints and open up new livelihood opportunities. There can be no single solution to alleviating undernourishment, nor will the solutions be simple. But progress can be achieved if individual countries and the international community act consciously on the commitments they made at the World Food Summit. The way forward will be long and challenging. The time to strengthen the resolve is now.
Anthropometry
Use of human body measurements to obtain information about nutritional status.
Body mass index (BMI)
A ratio of weight for height often used to estimate body fat. It is obtained by dividing the weight (in kilograms) by the square of the height (in meters). BMI is not appropriate for assessment of growing children, frail and sedentary elderly individuals, or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Dietary energy deficit
The difference between the average daily dietary energy intake of an undernourished population and its average minimum energy requirement.
Dietary energy intake
The energy content of food consumed.
Dietary energy requirement
The amount of dietary energy required by an individual to maintain body functions, health and normal activity.
Dietary energy supply
Food available for human consumption, expressed in kilocalories per person per day (kcal/person/day). At country level, it is calculated as the food remaining for human use after deduction of all non-food consumption (exports, animal feed, industrial use, seed and wastage).
Degree of food deprivation
A measure of the overall food insecurity situation in a country, based on a classification system that combines prevalence of undernourishment, i.e. proportion of the total population suffering from dietary energy deficit, and depth of undernourishment, i.e. magnitude of the dietary energy deficit of the undernourished population.
Food insecurity
A situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. It may be caused by the unavailability of food, insufficient purchasing power, inappropriate distribution, or inadequate use of food at the household level. Food insecurity, poor conditions of health and sanitation, and inappropriate care and feeding practices are the major causes of poor nutritional status. Food insecurity may be chronic, seasonal or transitory.
Food security
A situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Kilocalorie (kcal)
A unit of measurement of energy. One kilocalorie equals 1 000 calories. In the International System of Units (ISU), the universal unit of energy is the joule (J). One kilocalorie = 4.184 kilojoules (kJ).
Macronutrients
In this document, the proteins, carbohydrates and fats that are required by the body in large amounts and, available to be used for energy. They are measured in grams.
Malnutrition
An abnormal physiological condition caused by deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in energy, protein and/or other nutrients.
Micronutrients
The vitamins, minerals and certain other substances that are required by the body in small amounts They are measured in milligrams or micrograms.
Minimum dietary energy requirement
In a specified age/sex category, the amount of dietary energy per person that is considered adequate to meet the energy needs for light activity and good health. For an entire population, the minimum energy requirement is the weighted average of the minimum energy requirements of the different age/sex groups in the population. It is expressed as kilocalories per person per day.
Nutritional status
The physiological state of an individual that results from the relationship between nutrient intake and requirements and from the body's ability to digest, absorb and use these nutrients.
Overnourishment
Food intake that is in excess of dietary energy requirements continuously.
Overweight and obesity
Body weight that is above normal as a result of an excessive accumulation of fat. It is usually a manifestation of overnourishment. Overweight is defined here as BMI >25-30 and obesity as BMI >30.
Stunting
Low height for age, reflecting a sustained past episode or episodes of undernutrition.
Undernourishment
Food intake that is insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements continuously.
Undernutrition
The result of undernourishment, poor absorption and/or poor biological use of nutrients consumed.
Underweight
Low weight for age in children, and BMI <18.5 in adults, reflecting a current condition resulting from inadequate food intake, past episodes of undernutrition or poor health conditions.
Vulnerability
The presence of factors that place people at risk of becoming food insecure or malnourished, including those factors that affect their ability to cope.
Vulnerable group
A group of people with common characteristics, a high proportion of whom are food-insecure or at risk of becoming food-insecure.
Wasting
Low weight for height, generally the result of weight loss associated with a recent period of starvation or disease.
Table 1: PREVALENCE OF UNDERNOURISHMENT in developing countries and countries in transition | |||||
Region, subregion, country |
Total population |
UNDERNOURISHED IN TOTAL POPULATION | |||
Number of people |
Proportion population |
Proportion population |
Proportion population | ||
1997 |
1996-98 |
1979-81 |
1990-92 |
1996-98 | |
(millions) |
(millions) |
(%) |
(%) |
(%) | |
DEVELOPING WORLD |
4 501.2 |
791.9 |
29 |
21 |
18 |
ASIA AND PACIFIC |
3 091.2 |
515.2 |
32 |
21 |
17 |
East Asia |
1 321.9 |
155.0 |
29 |
16 |
12 |
China * (3) |
1 244.1 |
140.1 |
30 |
17 |
11 |
China, H. Kong SAR (1) |
6.5 |
0.1 |
... |
... |
... |
Korea, DPR (5) |
23.0 |
13.2 |
19 |
19 |
57 |
Korea, Rep (1) |
45.7 |
0.5 |
... |
... |
... |
Mongolia (5) |
2.5 |
1.1 |
16 |
34 |
45 |
Oceania |
4.5 |
1.3 |
31 |
26 |
29 |
Papua New Guinea (4) |
4.5 |
1.3 |
31 |
26 |
29 |
Southeast Asia |
491.3 |
64.7 |
26 |
18 |
13 |
Cambodia (4) |
10.5 |
3.4 |
61 |
41 |
33 |
Indonesia (3) |
203.4 |
12..3 |
26 |
10 |
6 |
Lao PDR (4) |
5.0 |
1.5 |
32 |
31 |
29 |
Malaysia (1) |
21.0 |
0.5 |
4 |
3 |
... |
Myanmar (3) |
43.9 |
3.1 |
19 |
10 |
7 |
Philippines (4) |
71.4 |
15.2 |
27 |
24 |
21 |
Thailand (4) |
59.7 |
12.2 |
25 |
31 |
21 |
Viet Nam (4) |
76.4 |
16.5 |
33 |
28 |
22 |
South Asia |
1 273.5 |
294.2 |
38 |
27 |
23 |
Bangladesh (5) |
122.7 |
46.8 |
42 |
35 |
38 |
India (4) |
966.1 |
207.6 |
38 |
26 |
21 |
Nepal (4) |
22.3 |
6.2 |
47 |
21 |
28 |
Pakistan (4) |
144.1 |
28.9 |
31 |
26 |
20 |
Sri Lanka (4) |
18.3 |
4.5 |
22 |
28 |
25 |
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN |
489.1 |
54.9 |
13 |
13 |
11 |
North America |
94.3 |
5.1 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Mexico (3) |
94.3 |
5.1 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Caribbean |
30.8 |
9.6 |
19 |
26 |
31 |
Cuba (3) |
11.1 |
2.1 |
4 |
4 |
19 |
Dominican Rep (4) |
8.1 |
2.2 |
25 |
29 |
28 |
Haiti (5) |
7.8 |
4.8 |
48 |
64 |
62 |
Jamaica (3) |
2.5 |
0.2 |
9 |
12 |
10 |
Trinidad & Tobago (3) |
1.3 |
0.2 |
6 |
12 |
13 |
Central America |
33.6 |
6.6 |
20 |
17 |
20 |
Costa Rica (3) |
3.7 |
0.2 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
El Salvador (3) |
5.9 |
0.6 |
17 |
12 |
11 |
Guatemala (4) |
10.5 |
2.5 |
18 |
14 |
24 |
Honduras (4) |
6.0 |
1.3 |
31 |
23 |
22 |
Nicaragua (4) |
4.7 |
1.5 |
26 |
29 |
31 |
Panama (3) |
2.7 |
0.4 |
21 |
19 |
16 |
South America |
330.5 |
33.6 |
14 |
14 |
10 |
Argentina (1) |
35.7 |
0.4 |
... |
... |
... |
Bolivia (4) |
7.8 |
1.8 |
26 |
25 |
23 |
Brazil (3) |
163.7 |
15.9 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
Chile (2) |
14.6 |
0.6 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
Colombia (3) |
40.0 |
5.2 |
22 |
17 |
13 |
Ecuador (3) |
11.9 |
0.5 |
11 |
8 |
5 |
Guyana (3) |
0.8 |
0.2 |
13 |
24 |
18 |
Paraguay (3) |
5.1 |
0.7 |
13 |
18 |
13 |
Peru (3) |
24.4 |
4.4 |
28 |
40 |
18 |
Suriname (3) |
0.4 |
0.0 |
18 |
12 |
10 |
Uruguay (2) |
3.3 |
0.1 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
Venezuela (3) |
22.8 |
3.7 |
4 |
11 |
16 |
NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA |
368.0 |
35.9 |
9 |
8 |
10 |
Near East |
232.5 |
30.3 |
10 |
11 |
13 |
Afghanistan (5) |
20.9 |
14.6 |
34 |
63 |
70 |
Iran, Islamic Rep (3) |
64.6 |
4.1 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
Iraq (3) |
21.2 |
3.5 |
4 |
9 |
17 |
Jordan (3) |
4.5 |
0.2 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
Kuwait (2) |
1.7 |
0.1 |
4 |
22 |
4 |
Lebanon (1) |
3.1 |
0.1 |
8 |
... |
... |
Saudi Arabia (2) |
19.5 |
0.6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Syrian Arab Rep (1) |
15.0 |
0.2 |
3 |
... |
... |
Turkey (1) |
63.4 |
1.2 |
3 |
... |
... |
United Arab Emirates (1) |
2.3 |
0.0 |
... |
... |
... |
Yemen (5) |
16.3 |
5.7 |
39 |
37 |
35 |
North Africa |
135.4 |
5.6 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
Algeria (3) |
29.4 |
1.4 |
9 |
5 |
5 |
Egypt (2) |
64.7 |
2.6 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1) |
5.2 |
0.0 |
... |
... |
... |
Morocco (3) |
26.9 |
1.4 |
10 |
5 |
5 |
Tunisia (1) |
9.2 |
0.1 |
... |
... |
... |
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA |
552.9 |
185.9 |
38 |
35 |
34 |
Central Africa |
76.2 |
38.5 |
36 |
37 |
50 |
Cameroon (4) |
13.9 |
4.1 |
20 |
29 |
29 |
Cent Afr Rep (5) |
3.4 |
1.4 |
22 |
46 |
41 |
Chad (5) |
7.1 |
2.7 |
69 |
58 |
38 |
Congo, Dem Rep (5) |
48.0 |
29.3 |
38 |
37 |
61 |
Congo, Rep (4) |
2.7 |
0.9 |
29 |
34 |
32 |
Gabon (3) |
1.1 |
0.1 |
13 |
11 |
8 |
Ea |
190.4 |
79.9 |
35 |
44 |
42 |
Burundi (5) |
6.4 |
4.3 |
39 |
44 |
68 |
Eritrea (5) |
3.4 |
2.2 |
na |
na |
65 |
Ethiopia (5) |
58.2 |
28.4 |
na |
na |
49 |
Kenya (5) |
28.4 |
12.2 |
26 |
47 |
43 |
Rwanda (5) |
6.0 |
2.3 |
24 |
37 |
39 |
Somalia (5) |
8.8 |
6.6 |
55 |
67 |
75 |
Sudan (3) |
27.7 |
5.1 |
24 |
30 |
18 |
Tanzania, United Rep (5) |
31.4 |
12.7 |
23 |
31 |
41 |
Uganda (4) |
20.0 |
6.0 |
32 |
23 |
30 |
Southern Africa |
81.9 |
34.5 |
33 |
45 |
42 |
Angola (5) |
11.7 |
5.0 |
31 |
51 |
43 |
Botswana (4) |
1.5 |
0.4 |
29 |
20 |
27 |
Lesotho (4) |
2.0 |
0.6 |
27 |
31 |
29 |
Madagascar (5) |
14.6 |
5.8 |
18 |
33 |
40 |
Malawi (4) |
10.1 |
3.2 |
26 |
47 |
32 |
Mauritius (3) |
1.1 |
0.1 |
10 |
6 |
6 |
Mozambique (5) |
18.4 |
10.7 |
54 |
67 |
58 |
Namibia (4) |
1.6 |
0.5 |
25 |
27 |
31 |
Swaziland (3) |
0.9 |
0.1 |
14 |
9 |
14 |
Zambia (5) |
8.6 |
3.9 |
30 |
40 |
45 |
Zimbabwe (5) |
11.2 |
4.2 |
30 |
41 |
37 |
West Africa |
204.3 |
33.0 |
42 |
22 |
16 |
Benin (3) |
5.6 |
0.8 |
37 |
21 |
14 |
Burkina Faso (4) |
11.0 |
3.5 |
64 |
32 |
32 |
Côte d'Ivoire (3) |
14.1 |
1.9 |
8 |
15 |
14 |
Gambia (3) |
1.2 |
0.2 |
58 |
18 |
16 |
Ghana (3) |
18.7 |
1.9 |
62 |
29 |
10 |
Guinea (4) |
7.3 |
2.1 |
30 |
37 |
29 |
Liberia (5) |
2.4 |
1.1 |
22 |
49 |
46 |
Mali (4) |
10.4 |
3.4 |
60 |
24 |
32 |
Mauritania (3) |
2.5 |
0.3 |
35 |
15 |
13 |
Niger (5) |
9.8 |
4.5 |
34 |
42 |
46 |
Nigeria (3) |
103.9 |
8.6 |
44 |
16 |
8 |
Senegal (4) |
8.8 |
2.0 |
20 |
21 |
23 |
Sierra Leone (5) |
4.4 |
1.9 |
40 |
45 |
43 |
Togo (3) |
4.3 |
0.8 |
31 |
29 |
18 |
Countries in transition |
413.0 |
26.4 |
na |
na |
6 |
Commonwealth of Independent States |
405.3 |
26.2 |
na |
na |
6 |
Armenia [4] |
3.6 |
0.7 |
na |
na |
21 |
Azerbaijan [4] |
7.6 |
2.4 |
na |
na |
32 |
Belarus [1] |
10.3 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
... |
Georgia [4] |
5.1 |
1.2 |
na |
na |
23 |
Kazakhstan [3] |
16.4 |
0.7 |
na |
na |
5 |
Kyrgyzstan [3] |
4.6 |
0.8 |
na |
na |
17 |
Moldova, Rep [3] |
4.4 |
0.5 |
na |
na |
11 |
Russian Fed [3] |
147.7 |
8.6 |
na |
na |
6 |
Tajikistan [4] |
5.9 |
1.9 |
na |
na |
32 |
Turkmenistan [3] |
4.2 |
0.4 |
na |
na |
10 |
Ukraine [3] |
51.1 |
2.6 |
na |
na |
5 |
Uzbekistan [3] |
23.2 |
2.6 |
na |
na |
11 |
Baltic States |
7.6 |
0.2 |
na |
na |
3 |
Estonia [3] |
1.4 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
6 |
Latvia [2] |
2.5 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
4 |
Lithuania [1] |
3.7 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
... |
Eastern Europe |
121.2 |
3.6 |
na |
na |
3 |
Albania [2] |
3.1 |
0.1 |
9 |
14 |
3 |
Bosnia & Herzegovina [3] |
3.5 |
0.4 |
na |
na |
10 |
Bulgaria [3] |
8.4 |
1.1 |
... |
... |
13 |
Croatia [3] |
4.5 |
0.5 |
na |
na |
12 |
Czech Rep [1] |
10.3 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
... |
Hungary [1] |
10.2 |
0.1 |
... |
... |
... |
TFYR Macedonia [3] |
2.0 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
7 |
Poland [1] |
38.7 |
0.3 |
... |
... |
... |
Romania [1] |
22.6 |
0.3 |
... |
3 |
... |
Slovakia [2] |
5.4 |
0.2 |
na |
na |
4 |
Slovenia [2] |
2.0 |
0.1 |
na |
na |
3 |
Yugoslavia** [2] |
10.6 |
0.3 |
na |
na |
3 |
Notes: |
Key: | ||||
Figure following country name |
Category (1)< 2.5% undernourished |
na not available Undernourished in total population: FAO estimates | |||
Table does not include countries with population of less than one million or having insufficient data. |
Table 2: FOOD AVAILABILITY AND DEPTH OF UNDERNOURISHMENT in developing countries and countries in transition, 1996-98 | |||||
Region, subregion, country |
FOOD AVAILABILITY |
DEPTH OF UNDERNOURISHMENT |
DIET COMPOSITION | ||
Dietary energy supply (kcal/person/day) |
Dietary energy supply of the undernourished (kcal/person/day) |
Minimum energy requirement (kcal/person/day) |
Food deficit of the undernourished (kcal/person/day) |
Share of cereals and roots and tubers in total DES* (%) | |
DEVELOPING WORLD |
|||||
Asia and Pacific |
|||||
China** (3) |
2 930 |
1 670 |
1920 |
250 |
62 |
China, H. Kong SAR (1) |
3 200 |
1 820 |
1960 |
140 |
32 |
Korea, DPR (5) |
1 860 |
1 550 |
1890 |
340 |
64 |
Korea, Rep (1) |
3 120 |
1 790 |
1920 |
130 |
51 |
Mongolia (5) |
1 960 |
1 530 |
1840 |
310 |
49 |
Oceania |
|||||
Papua New Guinea (4) |
|||||
Southeast Asia |
2 140 |
1 530 |
1790 |
260 |
56 |
Cambodia (4) |
2 060 |
1 490 |
1 760 |
270 |
79 |
Indonesia (3) |
2 880 |
1 630 |
1 830 |
200 |
70 |
Lao PDR (4) |
2 120 |
1 430 |
1 710 |
280 |
82 |
Malaysia (1) |
2 890 |
1 690 |
1 830 |
140 |
43 |
Myanmar (3) |
2 830 |
1 630 |
1 830 |
200 |
78 |
Philippines (4) |
2 390 |
1 520 |
1 790 |
270 |
56 |
Thailand (4) |
2 440 |
1 610 |
1 870 |
260 |
49 |
Viet Nam (4) |
2 410 |
1 520 |
1 800 |
280 |
76 |
South Asia |
|||||
Bangladesh (5) |
2 060 |
1 460 |
1 790 |
340 |
84 |
India (4) |
2 470 |
1 520 |
1 810 |
290 |
64 |
Nepal (4) |
2 190 |
1 530 |
1 800 |
260 |
80 |
Pakistan (4) |
2 430 |
1 490 |
1 760 |
270 |
57 |
Sri Lanka (4) |
2 300 |
1 570 |
1 830 |
260 |
56 |
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN North America |
|||||
Mexico (3) |
3 130 |
1 680 |
1 890 |
210 |
47 |
Caribbean |
|||||
Cuba (3) |
2 420 |
1 740 |
1 960 |
210 |
42 |
Dominican Rep (4) |
2 270 |
1 660 |
1 920 |
250 |
32 |
Haiti (5) |
1 840 |
1 470 |
1 930 |
460 |
56 |
Jamaica (3) |
2 660 |
1 720 |
1 920 |
200 |
40 |
Trinidad & Tobago (3) |
2 690 |
1 700 |
1 930 |
230 |
39 |
Central America |
|||||
Costa Rica (3) |
2 740 |
1 750 |
1 910 |
160 |
35 |
El Salvador (3) |
2 540 |
1 590 |
1 790 |
200 |
57 |
Guatemala (4) |
2 180 |
1 510 |
1 750 |
250 |
57 |
Honduras (4) |
2 340 |
1 490 |
1 760 |
270 |
46 |
Nicaragua (4) |
2 190 |
1 500 |
1 800 |
300 |
54 |
Panama (3) |
2 450 |
1 590 |
1 820 |
230 |
40 |
South America |
|||||
Argentina (1) |
3 140 |
1 800 |
1 940 |
140 |
35 |
Bolivia (4) |
2 200 |
1 540 |
1 770 |
230 |
48 |
Brazil (3) |
2 960 |
1 650 |
1 900 |
250 |
35 |
Chile (2) |
2 820 |
1 760 |
1 910 |
150 |
42 |
Colombia (3) |
2 580 |
1 590 |
1 810 |
220 |
40 |
Ecuador (3) |
2 710 |
1 650 |
1 810 |
160 |
38 |
Guyana (3) |
2 450 |
1 650 |
1 880 |
230 |
52 |
Paraguay (3) |
2 570 |
1 610 |
1 830 |
220 |
42 |
Peru (3) |
2 390 |
1 570 |
1 810 |
240 |
51 |
Suriname (3) |
2 640 |
1 720 |
1 910 |
190 |
44 |
Uruguay (2) |
2 810 |
1 760 |
1 910 |
150 |
34 |
Venezuela (3) |
2 360 |
1 640 |
1 840 |
210 |
39 |
NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Near East |
|||||
Afghanistan (5) |
1 620 |
1 350 |
1 820 |
480 |
82 |
Iran, Islamic Rep (3) |
2 830 |
1 610 |
1 800 |
190 |
56 |
Iraq (3) |
2 340 |
1 560 |
1 770 |
210 |
58 |
Jordan (3) |
2 790 |
1 600 |
1 770 |
170 |
54 |
Kuwait (2) |
3 050 |
1 710 |
1 890 |
180 |
39 |
Lebanon (1) |
3 270 |
1 730 |
1 890 |
160 |
39 |
Saudi Arabia (2) |
2 850 |
1 710 |
1 860 |
150 |
49 |
Syrian Arab Rep (1) |
3 350 |
1 660 |
1 820 |
160 |
55 |
Turkey (1) |
3 500 |
1 800 |
1 970 |
170 |
51 |
United Arab Emirates (1) |
3 370 |
1 850 |
1 990 |
140 |
35 |
Yemen (5) |
2 050 |
1 470 |
1 760 |
290 |
69 |
North Africa |
|||||
Algeria (3) |
2 980 |
1 640 |
1 830 |
190 |
62 |
Egypt (2) |
3 280 |
1 700 |
1 900 |
190 |
67 |
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1) |
3 250 |
1 730 |
1 860 |
130 |
48 |
Morocco (3) |
3 130 |
1 640 |
1 850 |
210 |
63 |
Tunisia (1) |
3 260 |
1 730 |
1 860 |
130 |
55 |
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Central Africa |
|||||
Cameroon (4) |
2 190 |
1 590 |
1 850 |
260 |
57 |
Central Afr. Rep (5) |
2 000 |
1 490 |
1 800 |
310 |
54 |
Chad (5) |
2 070 |
1 490 |
1 820 |
330 |
63 |
Congo, Dem. Rep (5) |
1 750 |
1 440 |
1 820 |
380 |
75 |
Congo, Rep (4) |
2 170 |
1 540 |
1 830 |
290 |
62 |
Gabon (3) |
2 540 |
1 680 |
1 840 |
160 |
47 |
East Africa |
|||||
Burundi (5) |
1 640 |
1 380 |
1 790 |
410 |
47 |
Eritrea (5) |
1 650 |
1 390 |
1 760 |
370 |
78 |
Ethiopia (5) |
1 840 |
1 410 |
1 750 |
340 |
79 |
Kenya (5) |
1 970 |
1 530 |
1 820 |
290 |
61 |
Rwanda (5) |
2 030 |
1 430 |
1 760 |
330 |
46 |
Somalia (5) |
1 550 |
1 330 |
1 820 |
490 |
35 |
Sudan (3) |
2 430 |
1 600 |
1 840 |
240 |
57 |
Tanzania, United Rep (5) |
2 000 |
1 500 |
1 800 |
300 |
68 |
Uganda |
2 140 |
1 500 |
1 780 |
280 |
42 |
Southern Africa |
|||||
Angola (5) |
1 910 |
1 410 |
1 730 |
320 |
66 |
Botswana (4) |
2 210 |
1 600 |
1 840 |
240 |
50 |
Lesotho (4) |
2 230 |
1 580 |
1 860 |
280 |
80 |
Madagascar (5) |
2 010 |
1 490 |
1 800 |
310 |
74 |
Malawi (4) |
2 170 |
1 480 |
1 790 |
310 |
74 |
Mauritius (3) |
2 940 |
1 720 |
1 900 |
180 |
46 |
Mozambique (5) |
1 860 |
1 470 |
1 890 |
420 |
79 |
Namibia (4) |
2 130 |
1 570 |
1 830 |
260 |
66 |
Swaziland (3) |
2 490 |
1 630 |
1 840 |
210 |
50 |
Zambia (5) |
1 960 |
1 470 |
1 810 |
340 |
79 |
Zimbabwe (5) |
2 140 |
1 510 |
1 850 |
340 |
63 |
West Africa |
|||||
Benin (3) |
2 540 |
1 570 |
1 790 |
220 |
74 |
Burkina Faso (4) |
2 160 |
1 520 |
1 810 |
290 |
75 |
Côte d'Ivoire (3) |
2 610 |
1 610 |
1 840 |
230 |
66 |
Gambia (3) |
2 520 |
1 610 |
1 850 |
240 |
56 |
Ghana (3) |
2 670 |
1 620 |
1 830 |
210 |
75 |
Guinea (4) |
2 310 |
1 510 |
1 830 |
320 |
58 |
Liberia (5) |
2 000 |
1 430 |
1 820 |
390 |
60 |
Mali (4) |
2 150 |
1 520 |
1 810 |
290 |
73 |
Mauritania (3) |
2 630 |
1 600 |
1 840 |
240 |
56 |
Niger (5) |
1 940 |
1 450 |
1 800 |
350 |
74 |
Nigeria (4) |
2 760 |
1 620 |
1 830 |
210 |
64 |
Senegal (4) |
2 290 |
1 590 |
1 830 |
240 |
59 |
Sierra Leone (5) |
2 050 |
1 440 |
1 820 |
380 |
63 |
Togo (3) |
2 460 |
1 560 |
1 820 |
260 |
77 |
COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION |
|||||
Armenia (4) |
2 350 |
1 740 |
1 950 |
210 |
61 |
Azerbaijan (4) |
2 190 |
1 690 |
1 930 |
240 |
69 |
Belarus (1) |
3 160 |
1 820 |
1 960 |
130 |
47 |
Georgia (4) |
2 320 |
1 730 |
1 940 |
210 |
67 |
Kazakhstan (3) |
2 860 |
1 780 |
1 940 |
160 |
63 |
Kyrgyzstan (3) |
2 490 |
1 670 |
1 900 |
230 |
65 |
Moldova, Rep (3) |
2 690 |
1 740 |
1 950 |
210 |
52 |
Russian Fed (3) |
2 840 |
1 800 |
1 970 |
170 |
49 |
Tajikistan (4) |
2 160 |
1 630 |
1 880 |
250 |
70 |
Turkmenistan (3) |
2 620 |
1 700 |
1 890 |
190 |
58 |
Ukraine (3) |
2 830 |
1 800 |
1 960 |
160 |
53 |
Uzbekistan (3) |
2 550 |
1 710 |
1 890 |
180 |
59 |
Baltic States |
|||||
Estonia (3) |
2 950 |
1 780 |
1 960 |
180 |
44 |
Latvia (2) |
2 930 |
1 800 |
1 950 |
150 |
43 |
Lithuania (1) |
3 110 |
1 810 |
1 950 |
140 |
53 |
Eastern Europe |
|||||
Albania (2) |
3 030 |
1 810 |
1 960 |
150 |
53 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina (3) |
2 660 |
1 810 |
2 000 |
190 |
67 |
Bulgaria (3) |
2 700 |
1 760 |
1 980 |
220 |
41 |
Croatia (3) |
2 610 |
1 830 |
2 010 |
180 |
38 |
Czech Rep (1) |
3 280 |
1 890 |
2 020 |
130 |
33 |
Hungary (1) |
3 350 |
1 860 |
2 000 |
140 |
29 |
TFYR Macedonia (3) |
2 780 |
1 800 |
1 970 |
170 |
45 |
Poland (1) |
3 330 |
1 860 |
1 990 |
130 |
42 |
Romania (1) |
3 280 |
1 870 |
2 010 |
130 |
54 |
Slovakia (2) |
2 960 |
1 870 |
2 020 |
160 |
34 |
Slovenia (2) |
2 970 |
1 850 |
1 990 |
150 |
40 |
Yugoslavia*** (2) |
3 040 |
1 840 |
1 990 |
150 |
32 |
Notes: |
Key: | ||||
Figure following country name |
Category (1)< 2.5% undernourished |
na not available Undernourished in total population: FAO estimates | |||
Table does not include countries with population of less than one million or having insufficient data. |
AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
BMI body mass index
CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States
DES dietary energy supply
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FIVIMS Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System
GDP gross domestic product
HIPC heavily indebted poor countries
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
LIFDCs low-income food-deficit countries
NGO non-governmental organization
PPP people's participation programme
SOFI State of food insecurity in the world
WHO World Health Organization