After decades of decline, the number of people who suffer from hunger slowly crept up again in 2015. Current estimates show that almost 700 million people are hungry – this is the equivalent of 8.9 percent of the world population. The numbers are up by 10 million people in one year and close to 60 million in five years. Relatively most people suffering from hunger are in sub-Saharan Africa, in this region one in four people is undernourished or malnourished.

The world is not on track to achieve Zero hunger by 2030. On the contrary, with recent developments the number of people impacted by hunger could be close to 850 million in 2030. Almost half of all deaths among children under five is because of malnutrition.

According to the World Food Programme, 135 million people suffer from acute hunger. This is mostly caused by conflicts, climate change and economic decline. The COVID-19 pandemic could almost double that number. An additional 130 million people are at risk of acute hunger in 2021.

With more than 250 million people on the brink of starvation, quick action is needed to provide food and humanitarian aid in areas most at risk.

A fundamental change of global agriculture is also needed if we want to feed the 700 million people in need now and the further 2 billion people estimated the world will have by 2050. Educating local farmers, increasing productivity, enabling them access to regional, national and international markets and sustainable food production are all important factors in fighting hunger today and into the future.