Undernourishment is an important challenge

Outline

• Undernourishment is an important challenge
• Undernourishment has important consequences
• Undernourishment is not the result of a world without enough food
• Permanently ending hunger requires more than a one-off push in incomes
• Malnutrition is not only about calories
• What does this mean in terms of policy?

An individual is considered to be undernourished when their dietary caloric intake is less than their minimum requirements. The number of undernourished people in the world has declined since 1991. However, in 2016 we have seen an increase back to the level of 2009. You can read more about how undernourishment is defined and measured here; and you can read more about global and regional trends here.

An individual is considered to be undernourished when their dietary caloric intake is less than their minimum requirements. The number of undernourished people in the world has declined since 1991. However, in 2016 we have seen an increase back to the level of 2009. You can read more about how undernourishment is defined and measured here; and you can read more about global and regional trends here.

Undernourishment is still very common in sub-Saharan Africa: about 18% of the population in this region do not consume sufficient calories. This is the region with the highest rates of undernourishment; but this is also the region where we have seen the largest progress in recent decades. In the MENA region rates are lower, but there has been no progress. On the whole, the world average has almost halved since 1991. (Note: In the interactive version of this chart you can click on the option "Add country" to plot numbers for any country or world region. You can also select the "Map" tab to show levels for all countries. )

Undernourishment is still very common in sub-Saharan Africa: about 18% of the population in this region do not consume sufficient calories. This is the region with the highest rates of undernourishment; but this is also the region where we have seen the largest progress in recent decades. In the MENA region rates are lower, but there has been no progress. On the whole, the world average has almost halved since 1991. (Note: In the interactive version of this chart you can click on the option "Add country" to plot numbers for any country or world region. You can also select the "Map" tab to show levels for all countries. )