Nearly 870 million chronically undernourished people globally, new SOFI report

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012 (SOFI) report, jointly released by FAO, IFAD and WFP reports that nearly 870 million people – roughly one in eight people globally- are chronically undernourished.

October 10, 2012 - Last update: July 4, 2022

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012 (SOFI) report, jointly released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), reports that nearly 870 million people – roughly one in eight globally- are chronically undernourished. Based on use of updated research methodologies over the past two decades, the report is said to provide better estimates of chronic undernourishment than previously reported.

According to the new report, rates of undernourishment have declined between 1990-92 and 2010-2012, from 18.6 percent to 12.5 percent of the global population, putting the goal of reaching MDG target 1 – to reduce by half the share of hungry people in the developing world– within reach. Overall rates of undernourishment in the developing world have declined at a faster pace over the same period, from 23.2 percent to 14.9 percent respectively.

However, despite significant progress, particularly in South Asia and Latin America, the vast majority of the undernourished – 852 million – live in developing countries. Africa was the only region where the number of hungry people grew, from 175 million to 239 million, with an additional 20 million in the past four years.

Overall, progress has slowed in the past five years due to impacts of the economic downturn. The report outlines proposed solutions for achieving sustained progress in reducing global rates of undernourishment which includes dual-track approach incorporating “nutrition-sensitive” approaches that focus on economic growth and agricultural development.