Hunger and undernutrition are linked to extreme poverty, as well as the lack of access to available, sufficient, and nutritious food. There is a high rate of poverty in the world, especially when we’re talking about some specific countries in Africa or Asian regions.
How are poverty and hunger actually connected? What is the rate of poor people and how does a low-income impacts hunger and starvation?
In today’s article, we’re talking about the link between these 2 global problems and we’ll cover the most important data and statistics.
7 Key Poverty And Hunger Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- 11% of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty.
- 413.3 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live with less than $1.90.
- People in Nigeria spend 56.4% of their income on food.
- 3.9% of Americans had very low food security in 2020.
- 60% of the hungry people in the world are women.
- Around 104 million children under the age of 5 live in extreme poverty.
- Action Against Hunger helps 17 million people fight poverty.
23 Poverty And Hunger Statistics
1. Globally, 815 million people don’t have enough food to eat.
According to the statistics provided by Children International, 815 million people in the world don’t have enough food to eat. In total, that is 10.7% of the world’s population. The main factor of hunger is poverty caused by conflict and an unstable economic situation.
Source: Children International
2. Around 11% of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty.
The United Nations stated that 780 million people, or 11% of the world’s population, live in extreme poverty. That means that their daily budget is less than $1.90. People who live in poverty struggle to afford safe and nutritious food to feed their families and themselves. When they grow hungry, they become weak and less productive, and they’re at higher risk of getting sick. All these factors affect people’s ability to work and have an income.
Source: United Nations and Mercy Corps
3. About 1 in 9 people don’t have enough food to lead a healthy life.
It is important to have safe access to proper, vital, and nutritious food. At some point, any type of food is good to appease the hunger, but in order to have a healthy, as well as active life, the consumed food needs to have proper minerals and vitamins which will help the body to be stronger and healthier. But for 1 in 9 people in the world, that is not an option.
Source: Children International
4. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 413.3 million people live with less than $1.90 per day.
According to the data provided by the Action Against Hunger, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of people living in extreme poverty. South Asia has 215.4 million such people, and East Asia and the Pacific have 47.2 million poor people. In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are 25.9 million people living in extreme poverty, in the Middle East and North Africa, there are 18.6 million such people, while in Europe and Central Asia, 7.1 million people are extremely poor.
Source: Action Against Hunger
5. Africa has 28 of the poorest countries in the world.
Africa is leading the biggest fight against hunger. The main factors that caused such a terrible situation there are poverty, conflict, weather, climate, lack of investment in agriculture, and unstable markets. All that resulted in more than 52 million hungry people all across Africa. The continent has 28 of the poorest countries in the world and that’s saying a lot about the hunger situation there.
Source: Children International
6. Out of the 10 most unequal countries in the world, seven of them are in Africa.
In all African countries, the richest people capture the largest share of income. With that action, they exacerbate inequalities between the rich and the poor. Income inequality is mostly seen in rural and urban areas, with the poor being located in rural areas, and that is one of the factors that impact food insecurity and hunger.
Source: Children International
7. Almost 50% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty.
Besides having the highest number of people living in extreme poverty, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of children living in such conditions at just under 50%. Due to that high percentage, this country has the largest share of the world’s extremely poor children (more than 50% of them). Due to that data, it isn’t surprising that Africa has a high rate of hunger and starvation.
Source: Children International
8. People in Nigeria spend more than half of their household income on food.
Families in African countries spend most of their household income on food. People in Nigeria spend 56.4% of their income on food, in Kenya, 46.7% of the household income goes on food, in Cameroon, people spend 45.6% of the income, while in Algeria 42.5%. However, high-income countries spend a significant proportion of their income on food too. For example, in Ireland, people spend between 14% and 33%, while in the USA between 28.8% and 42.6%. For comparison, the wealthiest households in the USA spend between 6.5% and 9.2 % of their household income on food, which is much less compared to low-income countries.
Source: NCBI
9. In 2020, over 37 million people in America lived in poverty while 5.1 million Americans had very low food security.
The year 2020 was hard in many ways, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy. And the main economic issue is low income that leads to food insecurity and hunger. Last year, more than 37 million people lived in poverty while 10.5% of US households were food insecure. The percentage included 3.9% of people that had very low food security. That is 5.1 million households.
Source: Feeding America
10. More than half of the Americas will live in poverty by the age of 65.
According to the Bread for the World and the data they provided, 51.4% of Americans will live in poverty at some point before the age of 65. Despite the fact that some countries have a high hunger rate due to a scarcity of food, in America, the continued prevalence of poverty is the main cause of hunger.
Source: Bread for the World
11. In the United States, 1 in 6 children lives in poverty.
The Children International stated that 1 in 6 children in America lives in poverty, compared to 1 in 8 adults. In number, that is 11.9 million impoverished children in the US who don’t have enough food for a living nor a healthy body and mind.
Source: Children International
12. There is a 2.4% increase in people who live in extreme poverty.
Back in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic even started, 8.6% of the world’s population was living in extreme poverty. The percentage has increased to the already mentioned 11%. That is a high increase in only 3 years.
Source: Children International
13. Women make up 60% of the hungry people in the world.
Women are in a worse situation than men. Many places have male-domination social structures which limit the resources of the women such as education, job opportunities, and financial services. Due to that, women and girls are more vulnerable to poverty and hunger. 60% of the hungry people in the world are women and girls.
Source: Mercy Corps.
14. Children are more than twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty.
According to the World Bank, 1 in 6 children, or 356 million of them globally, lived in extreme poverty even before the pandemic. Children are more likely to live in extreme poverty and food-insecure households. 17.5% of children are likely to live in terrible conditions versus 7.9% of adults. That is more than twice more! The youngest children are in the worst situation. Almost 20% of all children under the age of 5 in developing countries live in extremely poor households.
Source: World Bank
15. Out of all the children living in extreme poverty, 75% of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
According to the data stated in a study by World Bank and Unicef, out of all children living in extreme poverty, 75% of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The rates of poverty and hunger are at the highest in Africa and Asia. Southern Asia had the highest Global Hunger Index score of 30.9 in 2017 which indicated serious levels of hunger.
Source: Children International and Hunger Notes
16. Children in low-income countries are more likely to be malnourished.
Low-income countries have a great impact on children and their lives, especially those living in remote areas. Such children are more likely to be underfed and malnourished. Food deprivation takes a child’s life almost every three seconds. According to the data by the Mercy Corps, half of all deaths of children under the age of 5 are due to undernutrition.
Source: Mercy Corps
17. Around 328 million children under the age of 18 live in extreme poverty.
World Bank stated that around 104 million children under the age of 5 live in extreme poverty. The number extends to 328 million for children under the age of 18. When it comes to the living conditions in poverty, they definitely take a toll on children’s developing bodies. They are less resilient to the effects of living without safe and clean water, food, or health care. Due to that, many children suffer from malnutrition and other hunger-related illnesses.
Source: World Bank
18. More than 14 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
Globally, there are at least 14 million children who suffer from severe acute malnutrition. This is the direct cause of death for 2 million children every single year. Acute malnutrition is a nutritional deficiency resulting from inadequate energy or protein intake. The severe acute malnutrition in children is a result of inadequate food supply caused by various economic, social, and environmental factors.
Source: UNICEF and NCBI
19. Less than a third of children with acute malnutrition have access to lifesaving treatment.
Speaking of all the impacts poverty and hunger can have on children, as well as the lack of medical care, less than a third of children who suffer from severe acute malnutrition actually receive lifesaving treatment. That is a terrifying low number of kids who have access to proper medical care and treatments. People in developing countries often need to choose between getting food and medical care.
Source: World Bank
20. Food-insecure children have problems with reading and math.
Food insecurity has lasting effects on kids and their growth and development. According to Children International, food insecurity affects children’s ability to read and understand math. It also brings a lot of physical and mental health problems. Today, there are millions and millions of children living in food-insecure households and many of them are already fighting these health and development problems.
Source: Children International
21. Almost 50 % of children’s death is caused by undernutrition.
Undernutrition is an insufficient intake of energy and nutrients which are a must in order to meet an individuals’ needs to maintain good health. Undernutrition causes 45% of all children’s death in the world which results in 3.1 million children’s death every year.
Source: Children International
22. Every day, 1,000 children die from illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera.
Due to poor living conditions, every day, 1,000 children under the age of 5 die from illnesses such as dysentery, diarrhea, and cholera which are caused by inadequate sanitation and contaminated water. No proper food with much-needed nutrients, minerals, and vitamins has a big share in these illnesses and deaths too.
Source: UNICEF
23. Action Against Hunger helps more than 17 million people fight poverty and hunger.
Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that takes action against the causes and effects of hunger. The organization helps people to gain access to sustainable sources of income, nutritious food, clean water, and health care. Every year, they help more than 17 million people all around the world.
Source: Action Against Hunger
To Wrap It Up
Poverty leads to food insecurity, and eventually to hunger, starvation, and many related illnesses which can and are causing death. With so many people in low-income countries fighting poverty, hunger is inventible, while the ongoing pandemic impacts more and more on people’s economic status pushing them to the edge of extreme poverty. We can only hope that the pandemic will pass as soon as possible so these high rates of the 2 biggest global problems can finally see some decrease.
