Take a look at these very telling statistics on hunger worldwide:
U.N. studies show that the world already produces more than enough food to feed everyone on the planet and has the capacity to produce even more, and yet...
Global Hunger
• 1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union; (Source: Food and Agriculture Organization news release, 19 June 2009)
• The number of undernourished people in the world increased by 75 million in 2007 and 40 million in 2008, largely due to higher food prices; (Source: FAO news release, 9 Dec 2008)
• 907 million people in developing countries alone are hungry; (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2008)
• Asia and the Pacific region is home to over half the world’s population and nearly two thirds of the world’s hungry people; (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2008)
• More than 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women; (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2006)
• 65 percent of the world's hungry live in only seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia. (Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2008)
• In 2005 almost 1.4 billion people lived below the international poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day. (Global Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures. The World Bank. 2005 International Comparison Program. August 2008.)
CHILD HUNGER
• Every six seconds a child dies because of hunger and related causes; (Source: State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2004)
• More than 70% of the world's 146 million underweight children under age five years live in just 10 countries, with more than 50 per cent located in South Asia alone; (Source: Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
• 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths; (Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)
• The cost of undernutrition to national economic development is estimated at US$20-30 billion per annum; (Source: Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
• One out of four children - roughly 146 million - in developing countries are underweight; (Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)
Hunger in the United States
• 96 billion pounds of food (or 27% of the food available for human consumption in the United States) are literally thrown out each year
• Over 36 million people (approximately 13% of all Americans) live in hungry and food insecure households. More than 36% of the individuals living in these households are children.
• 12.6 million households which include 13 million children are food insecure. This accounts for over 11% of all American households.
• Over 45% of all food insecure households have incomes above 130% of the poverty level (currently $18,660 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children).
• Households experiencing hunger did so for 8 or more months during the year.
• Approximately 3.5 million households receive emergency food from a food pantry, church or food bank during the course of a year.
• The number of Americans who are hungry is now 25% higher than four years ago - an increase of more than 5 million people.
• In the past year there has been a 28% increase in the request for emergency food at the agencies reporting these statistics.
• More people are experiencing hunger in their communities than assistance is available. 24% of emergency food providers turned away requests for food, primarily due to a lack of resources.
• 13 million children in the U.S. go to bed hungry. (Bread for the World, 2004)
• In the U.S. hunger and race are related. 41.9% of African-American children and 40% of Latino children are chronically hungry compared to 16.2% of white children. (Bread for the World, 1995.)
