193 million people face acute hunger globally- report
193 million people face acute food insecurity across 53 countries, a 2022 report by the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) has revealed.
The report, which was released yesterday, indicates that the number represents an upsurge of nearly 40 million people compared to the numbers posted in the previous years.
However, GRFC explains that the increase in the number of vulnerable people is attributed to multiple factors, among them population growth.
The report stated: ‘‘This increase must be interpreted with care, given that it can be attributed to both a worsening acute food insecurity situation and a substantial (22 per cent) expansion in the population analysed between 2020 and 2021.
”However, even when considering the share of the analysed population in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or equivalent, the proportion of the population in these phases has increased since 2020.
‘‘When considering the results of the six editions of the GRFC, the number of people has risen by 80 per cent since 2016, when around 108 million people across 48 countries were acutely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance (Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or equivalent.’’
The report lists South Sudan as one of the countries with the worst cases of food insecurity. For instance, the list indicates that the DRC has 20.5 million people in crisis and 6.7 million others needing emergency interventions. South Sudan comes at number eight, 4.7 million people are in a food crisis and another 2.4 million are in emergency situations. Other countries listed include Sudan, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, Haiti, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan.
