Global Hunger Index 2023: Youth are our driving force

The 4 indicators of the Global Hunger Index

Before we get to the results, let's take a look at the indicators of the Global Hunger Index. They are the basis for classifying the hunger situation for all countries as serious, very serious, serious, moderate or low . The higher the value, the more the country is affected by food insecurity.

Indicator 1: Malnutrition : the proportion of the population whose calorie needs are not met.

Indicator 2: Child stunting : the proportion of children under five years of age who are short for their age, a sign of chronic malnutrition.

Indicator 3: Child wasting: the proportion of children under five years of age who are underweight for their height, indicating acute malnutrition.

Indicator 4: Child mortality: the proportion of children who die before their fifth birthday, partly reflecting the fatal combination of nutritional deficiencies and an unhealthy environment.

Fight against hunger: development stagnates

The global hunger situation is serious. 735 million people still suffer from chronic hunger and 3.1 billion cannot afford healthy, nutritious food. Women and girls make up about 60% of the population affected by food insecurity, despite the fact that their health is very important for future generations, as maternal health is closely linked to the development and future health of children.

Reasons for this include armed conflict, climate change, the economic impact of pandemics, but also fundamental factors such as persistent inequalities, poverty, inadequate governance, poor infrastructure, demographic changes or low agricultural productivity , which contribute to chronic hunger and vulnerability.

As a result, current food systems around the world and in many countries and regions are inadequate to address these challenges and end hunger. Therefore, progress has stagnated. Since 2015, we have not made any real positive changes in ending hunger in the world - on the contrary, progress has slowed or even reversed.

Alarming results for sub-Saharan African and South Asian countries

The GHI uses a scale ranging from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating lower levels of hunger and higher scores indicating higher levels of hunger.

South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the regions in the world with the highest hunger rates, each with a GHI score of 27.0, and the hunger situation in these countries is severe. What is particularly regrettable is that these countries made some progress at the beginning of the century, but little has changed since 2015.

Today, there are also nine countries where the hunger situation is very serious: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen and the Central African Republic.

However, there are also positive examples of countries that have slightly improved their GHI - even if they are still affected by severe food insecurity. These include Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Bangladesh and Nepal - these are the countries in which share is also active with various projects in the areas of nutrition, hygiene, reforestation and drinking water.

Youth as a driving force: What the world needs now

Fundamentally, governments must respect, protect and fulfil the right to food , for example by implementing food policies, programmes and governance processes. All actors should contribute to holding governments to account. In policy-making , the voices of the most vulnerable and crisis-affected groups must be prioritised .

When redesigning the food system, it is crucial to actively involve the younger generation. Many young people grow up in a system that neither guarantees them food security nor the opportunity to participate in shaping the processes that affect their own future. In order to achieve a state of food sovereignty in which people can exercise the right to healthy, culturally adapted and sustainably produced food, the energy and innovative power of the younger generation is of great importance. It is therefore necessary to empower the younger generation and involve them more frequently in political decision-making processes in the field of the food system . It is necessary to transform agriculture and food systems in such a way that they open up real life prospects for young people, in the form of self-determined lifestyles and responsible positions.

Together against hunger: How we can help

At share, we currently support projects run by our partner organizations in a total of 13 countries affected by hunger, 6 of which focus on nutrition. But our projects, which focus on hygiene services, drinking water and education, also play an important role in the fight against hunger and can help reduce hunger in the regions. Access to clean drinking water, for example, enables people to grow food or raise livestock. With every purchase of a share product, you can do something good in your everyday life by giving communities access to food.

Source: https://www.welthungerhilfe.de/hunger/welthunger-index , https://www.globalhungerindex.org/

Cover photo: Action against hunger in Somalia