The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2020

Overview

Newly accessible data this year made it possible to estimate hunger in the world with greater accuracy, including a revision of the entire series of undernourishment estimates for 13 countries, including for China. Nevertheless, the data still confirm that the number of people affected by hunger worldwide has been slowly on the rise since 2014. The report also shows that the burden of malnutrition in all its forms continues to be a challenge. The food security and nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups is likely to deteriorate further due to the health and socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report puts a spotlight on diet quality as a critical link between food security and nutrition. The report also introduces new analysis of the cost and affordability of healthy diets around the world, by region and in different development contexts. It presents valuations of the health and climate-change costs associated with current food consumption patterns, compared with potential impacts if those food consumption patterns were to shift towards healthy diets that include sustainability considerations. The report then concludes with a discussion of the policies and strategies to transform food systems to ensure affordable healthy diets, as part of the required efforts to end both hunger and all forms of malnutrition.

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