Number of hungry people rises by 122 million since 2019 - UN

The number of hungry people in the world amid various crises has increased by 122 million people since 2019. Such data are given in the published report "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World", prepared by five specialized agencies of the UN, writes BELTA with reference to the website of the UN News Center.

In 2022, "between 691 and 783 million people (average value - 735 million)" faced the problem of hunger. This is 122 million more people than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase is attributed to the coronavirus epidemic, extreme weather events and conflict, the document states.

It is noted that in 2022, progress against hunger was seen in Asia and Latin America, but hunger continued to increase in West Asia, the Caribbean and all subregions of Africa. Africa remains the most affected region, with one in five people going hungry on the continent, more than twice the global average.

The food security and nutrition situation remained a major problem in 2022. The report highlights that approximately 29.6% of the world's population, or 2.4 billion people, did not have sustainable access to food. At the same time, about 900 million people faced severe food insecurity.