The number of hungry people around the world soared last year, outpacing population growth and possibly the highest since 2005, as the COVID-19 epidemic reduced incomes and made food harder to obtain, according to the United Nations.
According to a report released by the United Nations on Monday, as many as 811 million people-about 1/10 of the world's population-will be undernourished in 2020. The world now needs to make "tremendous" efforts to fulfil its commitment to end hunger by 2030; the United Nations once again calls for a change in the food system.
The impact of the epidemic has made it more difficult for many people to gain access to healthy food, with food prices soaring this year to their highest level in nearly a decade, particularly bad for poorer countries that rely on imports. Conflicts, climate change and economic decline, which are the main drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition, are increasing in frequency and intensity, and occur together more and more frequently.
"2020 is a huge challenge for the world, and it may also warn us that if we do not change the situation with more decisive action, there will be more unpopular events," the United Nations said in the report.
The United Nations says between 720 million and 811 million people were undernourished last year, and the agency adopted a midpoint of 768 million because the impact of the epidemic is unclear; most of the hungry are in Asia.