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The message is not new, but the figures are now up-to-date again: Global hunger remains scandalously high and there has been hardly any progress over the past years. Hunger levels are serious or alarming in 42 countries across the global. In total, 733 million people lack access to sufficient calories. In some countries, more than half of the population is undernourished. Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia are the regions where the situation is most severe. These are some of the main messages of the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) published on October 10th by Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest aid and humanitarian agency, and the German non-government organisation Welthungerhilfe. “That hunger persists on such a scale with all the resources in the modern world is deeply troubling. That progress being made in addressing hunger has stalled due to the man-made impact of conflict and climate change should be alarming,” said David Regan, Chief Executive of Concern Worldwide. “How can we ignore over 2.8 billion people who cannot afford a healthy diet?’ Apart from armed conflict and the impacts of climate changes, hunger is also driven by high domestic food prices, market disruptions, high debt burdens among low- and middle-income countries, income inequality, and economic downturns, among other structural inequalities. Achieving Zero Hunger by the target date of 2030 as the international community had envisaged appears highly unlikely. In 22 countries with moderate, serious, or alarming 2024 GHI scores, hunger has actually increased since 2016. The world’s poorest countries and people are hit hardest. Women and girls are particularly affected by food insecurity and malnutrition. They also suffer disproportionately from the effects of weather extremes and climate emergencies, says the GHI. [+] more ...