Why do we monitor and measure global food security? This report helps us understand the causes of global food insecurity and agencies determine countries where food aid is needed. For example, Yemen and South Sudan and parts of several other countries have suffered from famines in 2018 alone. In many other countries, poverty rates are high and people cannot afford food. In order to address chronic food insecurity, we need a way to measure the extent of food insecurity in order to target the countries where progress is or is projected to be slow.
The 782 million people without access to sufficient food in 2018 are not spread evenly across countries and regions. The chart shows the share of the population that is food insecure by region and the projected change by 2028. In 2018, the share of population that is food insecure is relatively low in Asia (17 percent) and Latin America/Caribbean (20 percent). However, in Sub-Saharan Africa 36 percent of the population remains food insecure. This regional disparity is projected to widen into 2028 when Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to still have 24 percent of its population food insecure.
Several countries are not likely to make significant progress in improving their food security situation because of factors such as conflict and natural disasters, which have created refugees, diminished agricultural livelihoods, limited access to food, and stymied overall economic growth. Most of Yemen is food insecure, and repeated closure of ports makes it difficult for food to enter the country. Over half the population in Central Africa is projected to be food-insecure in 2028, following years of civil conflict in DR Congo and Central African Republic.