Hunger Situation in 33 Countries Is "Very Serious" to "Grave"

Food preparation near the desert, Mali. © WHH
Food preparation near the desert, Mali. © WHH(October 14, 2008).

In 33 countries throughout the world there is a "very serious" or "grave" hunger situation. These countries are right at the bottom of the Global Hunger Index 2008 (GHI 08), which the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from Washington and Welthungerhilfe presented today on the occasion of the World Food Day in Berlin.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Burundi, Niger und Sierra Leone are the worst of a total of 88 countries in the ranking, and the situation there is extremely serious. Grouped according to world regions, Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst, followed by South Asia. Altogether the number of people suffering from famine worldwide has risen from 848 to 923 million people.

For the first time the GHI also shows a long-term trend through comparing the current figures with those from 1990. Joachim von Braun, Director of the IFPRI said the result, a mixture of progress and reversals in different countries, showed stagnation at a global level: "The Global Hunger Index makes it clear that there certainly is progress in combating hunger, but unfortunately not on a broad front. We cannot accept this situation."

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