WASHINGTON — Eleven countries have alarming levels of hunger while a further 40 have serious levels, according to the 2020 Global Hunger Index.
The index, an annual look at levels of hunger around the world, ranks countries on a 100 point scale with a score of zero meaning there is no hunger. The index’s severity scale categorizes countries into five groups across the scale: low, moderate, serious, alarming, and extremely alarming levels of hunger.
While average global hunger levels are moderate — scoring between 10 and 19.9 — almost 690 million people in the world are undernourished. This includes 144 million stunted children and 47 million wasted children. In 2018, 5.3 million children died before they turned 5 years old.
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About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
