In this brief article, we will list countries facing the worst hunger in 2023 and understand what’s pushing these nations to famine. To learn about other countries dealing with the hunger that stems from conflict and economic incapacitation, read 30 Hungriest Countries In The World.
10. Burundi
Composite Ranking: 10
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 45.3
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $590 million
Burundi is emerging from decades of political unrest and sees its agriculture affected by overpopulation, which ultimately causes land disputes. As the country’s majority is reliant on agriculture, any disruption quickly leads to food insecurity. Not to mention the per capita GDP of $238 in Burundi that pushes people towards malnutrition.
9. Madagascar
Composite Ranking: 9
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 38.7
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $1.048 billion
Madagascar’s GDP is $15 billion, and when put in the context of its almost 30 million population, it’s surely insufficient. According to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the nation’s biodiversity is also threatened by deforestation and climate change. Notably, the country’s current poverty rate is 70.7%, 3rd highest in the world.
8. Mozambique
Composite Ranking: 8
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 33.8
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $2.253 billion
Despite its abundant resources, Mozambique faces food insecurity due to frequent natural disasters like cyclones and floods. The country’s 64.6% population survives on less than $2.15 a day, so their condition of food insecurity is imaginable.
7. Afghanistan
Composite Ranking: 7
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 29.9
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $4.656 billion
Four decades of war in Afghanistan have ruined its infrastructure and made its people flee the country for a safer future. If we talk about the population’s hunger, it stems from a rugged terrain that stops agricultural development. Owing to the country’s haphazard economic status, its per capita GDP is $363.7.
6. Uganda
Composite Ranking: 6
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 34
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $2.515 billion
Uganda’s population growth is the 8th highest globally, which surely pressures its food supply. Although the nation has plenty of fertile lands, disruptions like locust invasions and diseases that affect crops have increased hunger.
5. South Sudan
Composite Ranking: 5
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 47.1
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $2.107 billion
South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation which has been marred by civil conflicts since its inception. These conflicts disrupt farming and displace communities, so the authorities are left with limited resources to invest in development projects.
4. Democratic Republic Of Congo
Composite Ranking: 4
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 37.8
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $3.535 billion
The Democratic Republic of Congo has immense agricultural potential, but ongoing armed conflicts don’t let it reach its full potential. Currently, 62% of people in the country are extremely poor, and affording enough food is a hard-to-achieve task for them.
3. Somalia
Composite Ranking: 3
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 45.5
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $2.395 billion
Somalia also has political instability and terrorism, which make acute food shortages quite recurrent. Frequent droughts in the Horn of Africa region further strain local agriculture and push many into hunger. Moreover, in Somalia, 1.5 million under-5 children (45% of the country’s children) are projected to face acute malnutrition in 2022.
2. Yemen
Composite Ranking: 2
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 45.1
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $3.867 billion
Since 2014, when a civil war started in Yemen, poverty has increased dramatically. As the country is highly dependent on food imports, including wheat from Russia and Ukraine, these conflicts have made it worse for Yemen. Also, even before the onset of the war in Ukraine, food prices in Yemen were rising because of the depreciation of its currency.
1. Syrian Arab Republic
Composite Ranking: 1
Global Hunger Index 2022 Score: 49.9
Humanitarian Aid in 2021: $9.690 billion
Syria’s prolonged civil war has devastated its infrastructure and agricultural sector, like Afghanistan. Displacements, coupled with damaged farms and supply chains, have pushed millions into food insecurity. The nation (once a regional breadbasket) now struggles to feed its population amidst the ongoing strife. Although humanitarian aid to Syria is enormous, it will still take a long time for the country to come out of the war’s impact.
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