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Welthungerhilfe Presents the 2023 Global Hunger Index
As a World Without Hunger Moves Out of Reach, Young People Lack Prospects
Bonn/Berlin, 12 October 2023. After years of progress, the latest Global Hunger Index shows that the world has largely stagnated in terms of hunger reduction since 2015. Despite many political assurances and international conferences, there has been no success in reversing this trend. The report assesses the nutritional situation in 136 countries, 43 of which continue to record serious or alarming levels of hunger. In 18 countries, hunger has grown since 2015. Fifty-eight countries will not succeed in achieving a low level of hunger by 2030. Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia are once again the regions with the highest rates of hunger. Overlapping crises – like climate change, the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, growing numbers of armed conflicts, and the rise in food prices, which was intensified by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine – are forcing around three quarters of a billion people to go to bed hungry every day. This hits young people, especially women, particularly hard.
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“If hunger prevails, children will have to work instead of going to school, and girls will be married off at too young an age. People in low-income countries and members of disadvantaged groups are particularly vulnerable because they have little excess capacity with which to manage the assorted crises. In light of these circumstances, the planned budget cuts to development cooperation and especially to humanitarian aid are a step in the wrong direction,” notes Marlehn Thieme, the chair of the board of Welthungerhilfe.
This year’s Global Hunger Index focusses on the crucial role that young people throughout the world could play in improving food systems. The way in which we produce and consume food is neither sustainable nor fair. “The number of young people is hitting a historic high at 1.2 billion. Despite inheriting systems that are vulnerable to crises, many young people in the Global South have not had a sufficient voice in the decision-making process. To reduce hunger, we need to ensure generational equality, in part through investments in young people’s education, health, and nutrition. Without real hope of secure livelihoods, young people will continue to leave their home regions. Their strength and innovativeness have the potential to end hunger for good,” emphasises Mathias Mogge, the secretary general of Welthungerhilfe.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany and has no political or religious affiliations. It is fighting for “Zero Hunger by 2030”. Since its inception, it has provided funding of EUR 4.75 billion for more than 11,498 overseas projects in 72 countries. Welthungerhilfe operates according to the foundational principle of help for self-help, which it implements with measures ranging from rapid disaster relief to rehabilitation to long-term development co-operation projects with national and international partner organizations.
