Global Report on Food Crises reveals record-high levels of acute food insecurity

The 2020 edition of the annual Global Report on Food Crises was released today by the Global Network against Food Crises.

Among the key findings is the fact that in 2019 there were 135 million people across 55 countries and territories who were experiencing acute food insecurity. In other words, these people’s inability to consume adequate food, was putting their lives and livelihoods in immediate danger. Even more alarming, the report indicates that 75 million children were stunted and 17 million suffered from wasting. More than half of the cited populations live in Africa, 43 million live in the Middle East and Asia, and 18.5 million live in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Overall, these numbers represent the highest level of acute food insecurity and malnutrition documented by the Network since the first edition of the report in 2017. Key causes were attributed to conflict (pushed 77 million people into acute food insecurity), weather extremes (34 million people) and economic turbulence (24 million).

The Global Network against Food Crises is an international alliance of United Nations, governmental and non-governmental agencies that seek to better link, integrate and guide existing initiatives, partnerships, programmes and policy processes in order to sustainably address the root causes of food crises.

Watch FAO Director-General’s video message on Global Report on Food Crises 2020.