The fact that the 12 hungriest countries in the world in 2018 are still a long way from achieving the goal of United Nation’s Zero Hunger Challenge is more than just unfortunate.
The modern world has progressed immensely but the basic need of hunger, even today, remains a problem to be solved. Who is to blame? Well, that’s not a very simple question to answer if you ask me. I mean starving countries of 2018 all have several issues plaguing them: war, poverty, and inequality to name a few. Sadly, the continent most prone to these problems is none other than Africa. In fact, with a few exceptions, our article could easily be dubbed as one listing the hungriest countries in Africa. Africa also has the most representation when it comes to enumerating the countries suffering from famine in 2018. This year saw South Sudan officially declaring famine in some of its areas. Nigeria, Somalia and the Middle Eastern country of Yemen are not far behind. These 4 nations together pose a threat of starvation to approximately 20 million people!
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Of course, many nations, African or otherwise, have also succeeded in lessening their hunger rates. And I’m sure hunger isn’t exactly a problem for these top 25 richest, healthiest and most advanced countries in the world; but my point is: overall world hunger is still at such a high level that it becoming zero by 2030 doesn’t appear to be an attainable target, realistically speaking.
So, to answer the question, “where is world hunger most common?”, we resorted to the Global Hunger Index Report 2017 published by the International Food Policy Research Institute and looked for the nations with the highest GHI to their name. The report takes into account three major factors when assigning a number to a state: inadequate food supply, child mortality and child undernutrition. Bear in mind that data for thirteen countries wasn’t available due to which they were not included in the ultimate ranking. This is probably why South Sudan, one of the countries in famine in 2017, is not part of our list. For the least hungry countries, you can always refer the report above but knowing the hungriest countries in the world in 2018 is definitely more important, so keep on reading!
12. Zimbabwe
Global hunger index: 33.8
We start off our list with Zimbabwe, a state admired for its wildlife and safaris, but unfortunately admonished for its “serious” state of hunger (as categorized by the report).
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11. Haiti
Global hunger index: 34.2
Haiti has managed to bring its hunger index down to the 30s from the 40s, which is a huge achievement considering the devastating natural disasters the nation has faced over the years.
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10. Timor-Leste
Global hunger index: 34.3
First of the two Asian nations on our list, Timor-Leste has managed a significant improvement in its GHI from 46.8 in 2008 to 34.3 in 2017.
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9. Niger
Global hunger index: 34.5
Niger has battled widespread droughts time and time again, which is why it has bagged the ninth spot on our list of hungriest countries in the world in 2018.
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8. Liberia
Global hunger index: 35.3
With Liberia, we move from nations with “serious” hunger situations to “alarming” ones on our list of the hungriest countries in the world in 2018.
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7. Sudan
Global hunger index: 35.5
The report doesn’t present Sudan’s previous year results for us to compare how the situation has improved or worsened but it seems to be doing better than its southern counterpart all the same.
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6. Yemen
Global hunger index: 36.1
The only Middle Eastern country on our list of hungriest countries in the world, Yemen has been in a state of humanitarian crisis for quite some time now, which has led to several people starving from the effects of war conditions prevalent in the nation.
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5. Zambia
Global hunger index: 38.2
Zambia has had a huge problem with HIV since several years, a situation which puts pressure on an already poor economy and that pressure, in turn, causes problems for the common population, poverty, and hunger being some of them.
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4. Madagascar
Global hunger index: 38.3
Madagascar is not too far away from Zambia on the hunger scale, but a minor difference has landed it on the fourth spot among the hungriest countries in the world in 2018. Unfortunately, the hunger situation in the nation has worsened over the years as the index used to be 36.8 in 2008.
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3. Sierra Leone
Global hunger index: 38.5
Although Sierra Leone has been blessed with a number of natural resources in abundance, it continues to be an extremely poor country with a lot of its population not getting enough to eat.
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2. Chad
Global hunger index: 43.5
Chad, the country that held the first spot in 2008 with a GHI above 50 has now experienced a significant improvement. While it is still the second hungriest country in the world, a decrease of 7.4 means that Chad might move down the list in years to come.
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1. Central African Republic
Global hunger index: 50.9
The nation of Central African Republic holds the accolade of being the only country in the world whose hunger rate has been categorized as “extremely alarming” since its index is above 50. It actually fell to 47 in 2008, but the fact that the number has deteriorated doesn’t bode well for the country making it the hungriest countries in the world in 2018.
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