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Famine

852 million people across the world are hungry.
In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.
Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.
Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.

Facts and Figures on Population

Today our world houses 6.47 billion people.
The United States is a part of the developed or industrialized world, which consists of about 50 countries with a combined population of only 0.9 billion, less than one sixth of the world's population.
In contrast, approximately 5 billion people live in the developing world. This world is made up of about 125 low and middle-income countries in which people generally have a lower standard of living with access to fewer goods and services than people in high-income countries.
The remaining 0.4 billion live in countries in transition, which include the Baltic states, eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Facts and Figures on Hunger, Famine and Poverty

In the developing world, more than 1.2 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day.
Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families. As a result, 815 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth.
Undernourishment negatively affects people's health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.
Economically, the constant securing of food consumes valuable time and energy of poor people, allowing less time for work and earning income.
Socially, the lack of food erodes relationships and feeds shame so that those most in need of support are often least able to call on it.
The international community often responds to famines by donating food. As a discussion of recent events in Sudan demonstrate, however, donating food aid is only the first step in ensuring that food aid gets to those in need: Engineering Famine: The Manipulation of Food Assistance in Sudan.

Facts and Figures on Health

Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities, according to the World Health Organization.
Pregnant women, new mothers who breastfeed infants, and children are among the most at risk of undernourishment.
153 million children under 5 in the developing world are underweight. Worse yet, 11 million children younger than 5 die every year, more than half from hunger-related causes.
Most of these deaths are attributed, not to outright starvation, but to diseases that move in on vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.
The four most common childhood illnesses are diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles. Each of these illnesses is both preventable and treatable. Yet, again, poverty interferes in parents' ability to access immunizations and medicines. Chronic undernourishment on top of insufficient treatment greatly increases a child's risk of death.
In the developing world, 27 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely underweight. 8 percent are severely underweight. 8 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely wasted, or seriously below weight for one's height, and an overwhelming 31 percent are moderately to severely stunted, or seriously below normal height for one's age.

Last updated: October 10, 2005