World Hunger Facts

WORLD HUNGER • 854 million people are hungry Developing nations • 820 million people are undernourished • 1 billion people live on less than $1/day • 146 million children under age 5 are underweight o 10 million children under age 5 die every year, over half of hunger-related causes • 1 in 6 people is hungry • 1 in 6 people lacks safe drinking water Industrialized/developed nations • 9 million people are undernourished Transitional nations • 28 million people are undernourished WORLD POPULATION • 6.55 billion people Developing nations • 5.1 billion people (approx.) • 3/4 of world population • 125 low/middle-income countries Industrialized/developed nations • 1 billion people (approx.) • Less than 1/6 of world population • 57 countries (including the U. S.) Transitional nations • Almost half a billion (0.4 billion) people • About 6 percent of world population • Includes Baltic states, eastern Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States

• 35.1 million people (including 12.4 million children) experience hunger or the risk of hunger.

o This is roughly 11.8 percent of the 298 million people (July 2006 estimate) in the U.S.

• 3.9 percent of households (10.8 million people, including 0.6 million children) experience hunger. Some families skip meals, eat too little, or go a whole day without food.

o 1 out of every 8 households in the United States has reduced the quality of its diet to utilize money elsewhere (rent, clothing, day care).

• 7.1 percent of households (24.4 million people, including 11.8 million children) are at risk of hunger.

• In 2006, 26.7 million people participated in the food stamp program each month (8.6 percent of the U.S. population).

• In 2006, requests for emergency food assistance increased 7 percent. Of those requesting emergency food assistance, 48 percent were members of families with children, and 37 percent of adults requesting assistance were employed.

• Of 1,000 Americans surveyed, 42% donated money to non-profit groups serving the poor, and 33% gave time to help the poor. (Barna Research Group) You are one of the 42% when you give to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

Hunger in children

• In the U.S., 12.4 million children are hungry.

• In the developing world, 20 million low-birth weight babies are born each year. They are at risk of dying in infancy or suffering lifelong physical or cognitive disabilities.

• Every year, 10 million children in developing nations die before their fifth birthday. By comparison, in the U.S. 1 child in 165 dies before age 5, or approximately 1.8 million per year.

• 3/4 of all deaths in children under age 5 in the developing world are caused by malnutrition or related diseases.

• Each day in the developing world, 16,000 children die from hunger or preventable diseases such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, or malaria. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths. That is equal to 1 child every 5.4 seconds.

• Hungry children are more likely to be ill and absent from school.

• Hungry children suffer from 2 to 4 times more individual health problems—such as unwanted weight loss, fatigue, headaches, irritability, inability to concentrate, and frequent colds—than low-income children whose families do not experience food shortages.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that there are 206 million people who are hungry in sub-Saharan Africa. This region accounts for 13 percent of the world’s population, yet it is home to 25 percent of the world's undernourished population.

• In sub-Saharan Africa, 24.9 million people live with HIV or AIDS, which is 63% of the world's 39.5 million total cases.

• In half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, per capita economic growth is estimated to be falling by between 0.5 and 1.2 percent each year as a direct result of AIDS. (Bread for the World)