Truths About Hunger

• In 2005, about 10.1 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. Almost all of these deaths occurred in developing countries, 3/4 of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two regions that also suffer from the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition. 1

• Most of these deaths are attributed, not to outright starvation, but to diseases that move in on vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger. 2

• Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes(one child every five seconds). 3

• 854 million people across the world are hungry, up from 852 million a year ago. 4

• Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness. 5

• Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help. 5

• In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food. 5

Sources

1. State of the World’s Children 2007—Women and Children: The Double Dividend of Gender Equality. UNICEF. December 2006.

2. State of Food Insecurity in the World 2002. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

3. Black, Robert, Morris, Saul, & Jennifer Bryce. Where and Why Are 10 Million Children Dying Every Year? The Lancet 361:2226-2234. 2003.

4. State of Food Insecurity in the World 2006. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2006

5. Are We On Track To End Hunger? Hunger Report 2004. Bread for the World Institute. 2004