GLOBAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL TRENDS
The number of the hungry in the world has remained unacceptably high: In 2010–2012, about 870 million people were chronically undernourished (FAO 2012). This sobering statistic is in no way diminished by FAO’s improved undernourishment estimates released in 2012, which suggest that progress in reducing undernourishment was more marked than previously believed.1
the positive trend of declining hunger: The 2013 world2 close to 34 percent from the 19903
world GHI, from a score of 20.8
to 13.8 (Figure 2.1). The three indicators contributed differently to the decline of
7.0 points in the world GHI score since 1990. A decline in child underweight lowered the world GHI score by 3.0 points, whereas changes in the share of undernourished people in the population and the child mortality rate contributed reductions of 2.7 and 1.3 points, respectively.
Large Regional and National Differences The world GHI declined most rapidly—by 2 points—between 1990 and 1995. Although progress slowed after 1995, it picked up again after 2005. Undernourishment and underweight in children improved most between 19903
and 1995, whereas progress in reducing child
mortality has accelerated since 1995. The 2013 world GHI, howev- er, remains “serious.”
4
The GHI corroborates GHI fell by
These global averages mask dramatic differences among regions and countries. Compared with the 1990 score, the 2013 GHI score is 23 percent lower in Africa south of the Sahara, 34 percent lower in South Asia, and 28 percent lower in the Near East and North Africa (Figure 2.1). Progress in East and Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean was even more remarkable, with the GHI scores falling by 52 percent and 50 percent respectively (although the 1990 score was already relatively low in the latter region). In Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, the 2013 GHI score is 48 per- cent lower than the 1995 score.4
1
The reason for greater progress in reducing undernourishment (one of the three component indi- cators of the GHI) is that FAO’s new methodology produces larger 1990–1992 baseline estimates than its old methodology, and against this new baseline, progress appears greater (FAO 2012). In addition, some of the decline in the proportion of undernourished reflects the growth in world population, against which a stagnant absolute number of undernourished people since 2006– 2008 makes up a decreasing share (FAO 2013a).
2
The “world” includes all developing countries for which the GHI has been calculated. It also includes Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Somalia. Country GHI scores were not calculated for these countries because much of the data for them is estimated or provisional. They were incorporated into the 2013 world GHI and region- al GHI scores because data on child underweight and child mortality are available or could be estimated and because provisional estimates of undernourishment were provided by FAO only for regional and global aggregation. As noted earlier, data for some other countries are not available, and most high-income countries are excluded from the GHI calculation.
3
The year 1990 was chosen for comparison because it is the reference point for achieving the targets under the Millennium Development Goals.
For Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, the 1995 GHI score was used for comparison because most countries in this region became independent after 1990 and no 1990 GHI scores were calculated.
FIGURE 2.1 CONTRIBUTION OF COMPONENTS TO 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, AND 2013 GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX SCORES, BY REGION Under-five mortality rate
10 15 20 25 30 35
5
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13 World
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13 South Asia
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13
Africa South of the Sahara
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13
East & South- east Asia
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13
Near East & North Africa
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13
Latin America & Caribbean
’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’13
Eastern Europe & Commonwealth of Independent States
Note: For the 1990 GHI, data on the proportion of undernourished are for 1990–1992; data on child underweight are for the year closest to 1990 in the period 1988–1992 for which data are available; and data on child mortality are for 1990. For the 1995 GHI, data on the proportion of undernourished are for 1994–1996; data on child underweight are for the year closest to 1995 in the period 1993–1997 for which data are available; and data on child mortality are for 1995. For the 2000 GHI, data on the proportion of undernourished are for 1999–2001; data on child underweight are for the year closest to 2000 in the period 1998–2002 for which data are available; and data on child mortality are for 2000. For the 2005 GHI, data on the proportion of undernourished are for 2004–2006; data on child underweight are for the year closest to 2005 in the period 2003–2007 for which data are available; and data on child mortality are for 2005. For the 2013 GHI, data on the proportion of undernourished are for 2010–2012, data on child underweight are for the latest year in the period 2008–2012 for which data are available, and data on child mortality are for 2011.
2013 Global Hunger Index | Chapter 02 | Global, Regional, and National Trends 11
Prevalence of underweight in children Proportion of undernourished
GHI score 20.8 18.8 17.0 15.7 13.8 31.5 27.5 24.4 23.3 20.7
25.2 25.0
24.1 21.6 19.2 15.9 13.5 11.3 9.6
8.1 7.6
5.8 6.1 6.8 7.0
9.5 8.2 6.9 5.6 4.8
5.0 5.3
2.7 3.2
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