These staggering facts about global hunger speak for themselves. Read on to begin the countdown to a #HungerFree world.
- Hunger is the world’s number one health risk; it kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. (World Food Programme)
- Some 925 million people are malnourished in the world today. (World Food Programme)
- One in seven people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight. (World Food Programme)
- Children whose development is stunted by hunger and malnutrition lose 5–10% in lifetime earnings. (World Food Programme)
- If we spent U.S. $11.8 billion a year, we could reach 90% of stunted children in the 36 highest-burdened countries. This would cost less than the $13.6 billion U.S. consumers spend per year on potato and tortilla chips. (World Vision Child Health Now report)
- Worldwide, 115 million children under the age of 5 are underweight. (World Health Organization)
- Asia and the Pacific region is home to over half the world’s population — and nearly two-thirds of the world’s hungry people. (Food and Agriculture Organization)
- Supplementation with vitamins can reduce risk of child mortality from all causes by 23%. (2009 UNICEF report: Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition)
- Iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, affecting an estimated 2 billion people. Eradicating iron deficiency can improve national productivity levels by as much as 20%. (World Health Organization)
- Some 1 million babies’ lives could be saved if all mothers were encouraged and supported to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of life. (World Vision Child Health Now report)
Now that you know these hunger facts, what are you going to do about it? Here are some steps you can take right now:
- Join HungerFree, a global movement to end hunger and tell the world your vision for a #HungerFree world!
- Connect Your Facebook: Connect your Facebook profile picture, and add it to the HungerFree art installation being built at Union Station in Washington, D.C.!
- HungerFree Art Challenge: Create art that expresses your vision for a hunger-free world. Here’s your chance to have your inspiring artwork delivered to the G8 leaders!
- Tweet Your Leaders: Global leaders are meeting at the G8 and G20 summits in May and June. We have an opportunity to make sure our leaders hear that hunger must be on the agenda — and that bold, achievable commitments must be made to prioritize nutrition and food security.
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