After long-term decline, global hunger is on the rise

The proportion of the global population experiencing undernourishment rose to 9.8% in 2021, according to an annual UN report on food security.

The big picture: The decline in hunger in recent decades had been a massive breakthrough for global development. That trend has slipped into reverse since 2018, according to the UN data.

The UN set a goal in 2015 of eliminating global hunger by 2030, but now estimates that roughly the same percentage (8%) of the world will face hunger then as did in 2015.

The report's authors cited "conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks, combined with growing inequalities" as the drivers of food insecurity, noting that the war in Ukraine was now further exacerbating the crisis.