The FAO World Hunger Report for 2012 has been released, and it significantly revises the previous estimates of world hunger, going back to 1990. The Report also estimates world hunger for the period 2010 to 2012; those numbers are a projection, not only because 2012 is not over yet, but also because the data collection takes many months. So the 2010 to 2012 number is likely to be revised in future World Hunger Reports.
Click to View this ChartLet me give you a quick overview of the numbers. See the Full Report here and click on the graphics associated with this post for more details.
In the Whole World:
1990-1992 — 1.000 billion hungry persons
1999-2001 — 919 million hungry persons
2004-2006 — 898 million hungry persons
2007-2009 — 867 million hungry persons
2010-2012 — 868 million hungry persons
In the Whole World, as a percent of world population:
1990-1992 — 18.6%
1999-2001 — 15.0%
2004-2006 — 13.8%
2007-2009 — 12.9%
2010-2012 — 12.5%
In the Developing World:
In the Developing World:
1990-1992 — 980 million hungry persons
1999-2001 — 901 million hungry persons
2004-2006 — 885 million hungry persons
2007-2009 — 852 million hungry persons
2010-2012 — 852 million hungry persons
In the Developing World, as a percent of that population:
1990-1992 — 23.2%
1999-2001 — 18.3%
2004-2006 — 16.8%
2007-2009 — 15.5%
2010-2012 — 14.9%
In addition, the Report explains that most hungry persons are located in three regions:
Southern Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Eastern Asia
Click to View this ChartTogether, these three regions hold just over 81% of the hungry population of the world today: 705 million out of 868 million hungry persons. That is where hunger is most severe.
More on the contents of the 2012 Hunger Report in future posts.
Hunger Math 