World hunger continues rising amid war, climate change, U.N. reports

Over 820 million people undernourished last year.

By John Lauerman

Bloomberg News
July 17, 2019 at 12:25AM
Afghan refugees who fled their homeland due to war and famine, are on their way to collect clean water in slums of Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Pakistan will also observe the World Refugee Day tomorrow with other countries, launched by the UN Refugee Agency, and held every year on June 20th, aims to honors the courage of people who are forced to flee their homeland.
Afghan refugees who fled their homeland due to war and famine, are on their way to collect clean water in slums of Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The world's hungry rose to more 820 million people last year, according to a United Nations report that highlights issues of improper nutrition and economic inequality.

Last year was the third consecutive year hunger increased, following a decline over several decades. War, climate change and troubled economies were among the key reasons behind the gain, according to the report Tuesday from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and other agencies.

While technology has connected and globalized the world's economies, many countries have failed to enjoy sustained growth as a result, the report said. Armed conflicts are also on the increase, while climate change is hurting agricultural productivity and harming rural people especially, it said.

Ending world hunger will require fostering "inclusive structural transformation" to reduce the economic vulnerability of people and communities, leaders of the U.N. groups said in a statement.

More than half a million people in Asia are undernourished, mostly in southern Asian countries, according to the report. Africa and Asia account for nine out of 10 of all children worldwide who faced stunting or wasting due to malnutrition.

about the writer

John Lauerman