The number of people going hungry has increased since 2014—a worrisome trend. An estimated 821 million people were undernourished in 2017, the same number as in 2010. The prevalence of undernourishment has remained virtually unchanged in the past three years at a level slightly below 11 per cent. Updated figures on undernourishment, food insecurity and malnutrition will be released in The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019 (July 2019).

The situation deteriorated significantly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of undernourished people increased from 195 million in 2014 to 237 million in 2017. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of hunger, with the rate increasing from 20.7 per cent in 2014 to 23.2 per cent in 2017. In South America, the situation also appears to be worsening. This may be the result of an economic slowdown, which reduced fiscal capacity to protect the most vulnerable against rising domestic prices and loss of income. Adverse weather conditions affecting food availability and prices, and prolonged armed conflicts, are among the key drivers of these trends.

Chronic undernutrition or stunting—defined as inadequate height for age—puts children at an increased risk of dying from common infections. Stunting is also associated with poor cognitive development, which can have a negative impact on a country’s long-term progress. Since 2000, the proportion of stunted children has been declining; however, 149 million children under 5 years of age—22 per cent of the global under-5 population—were still chronically undernourished in 2018. Three quarters of those children live in Southern Asia (39 per cent) and sub-Saharan Africa (36 per cent). More intensive efforts are needed to meet the target of bringing the number of stunted children down to 100 million by 2025 and 83 million by 2030.

In 2018, 49 million children under 5 years of age—7.3 per cent of the global under-5 population—suffered from acute undernutrition, or wasting (low weight for height), a condition generally caused by limited nutrient intake and infection. Over half of children with wasting live in Southern Asia. The global wasting rate in 2018 remained well above the 5 per cent global target for 2025 and the 3 per cent target for 2030.

Childhood overweight and wasting form the double burden of malnutrition. Children who are overweight or obese are at higher risk of early-onset obesity-related health and psychological complications. They often carry the extra weight into adolescence and adulthood, leading to lifelong health problems. The prevalence of overweight is increasing in all age groups. In 2018, childhood overweight affected 40 million children under 5 years of age—5.9 per cent of the global under-5 population. Prevalence levels were above 9 per cent in Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Central Asia, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) and Western Asia.

Globally, in 2016, overweight affected 20.6 per cent of children 5 to 9 years old (131 million), 17.3 per cent of adolescents (207 million) and 38.9 per cent of adults (2 billion). The promotion of healthy diets is central to halting and reversing the obesity epidemic. Governments have a range of policy options to choose from to improve access to healthy and affordable diets, from “hard” policies, such as bans and regulations, to “soft” policies, that entail lower degrees of intervention in people’s lives, such as the provision of information.