African Countries Most Affected By Hunger

The number of hungry people in Africa is on the rise, according to a report by the African Union Commission (AUC), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). They have attributed this uptrend to conflict, climate change and economic slowdowns, including those triggered by COVID-19 pandemic.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) report containing data ranking nations of the world on a 100 point scale (0 being the best and 100 being the worst) was published, based on the average of three indicators;

1. Undernourishment - The proportion of the country’s population that is undernourished

2. Child Stunting and Child Wasting - The proportion of underweight children under the age of five;

3. Child mortality - The proportion of children dying before the age of five

On the Global Hunger Index for 2021, Somalia has the highest score for an African country, showing hunger affects more of its population than any other African country. The Central African Republic is second with a GHI of 43, and Chad with a GHI of 39.6 in third. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar complete the top 5 African countries most affected by hunger and malnutrition with GHI of 39 and 36.3, respectively.

An overview of the GHI for African countries shows that most countries hit by hunger are mainly located south of the Sahara, where the caloric limit is an average of 1,800 calories per day.

Besides the challenge of food insecurity in Africa, slow and stagnating economic growth continues to be a major obstacle to the overall development of the continent. Other factors, such as war, droughts, and terrorism, contribute to food insecurity and rising poverty levels. Because of this, hunger and famine escalate quickly in some African countries, including Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria. In these countries, about 20 million people, including several children, suffer from the risk of starvation.

Today, Africa has the second largest number of undernourished people, with 418 million people facing hunger. Despite the development of 2016’s Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals for ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030, cases of hunger and malnutrition still plague Africa and are fast-becoming major barriers to the development.