In recent years, several major drivers have put the world off track
to ending world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. The
challenges have grown with the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment
measures. This report presents the first global assessment of food
insecurity and malnutrition for 2020 and offers some indication of what
hunger might look like by 2030 in a scenario further complicated by the
enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes new
estimates of the cost and affordability of healthy diets, which provide
an important link between the food security and nutrition indicators and
the analysis of their trends. Altogether, the report highlights the
need for a deeper reflection on how to better address the global food
security and nutrition situation.
To understand how hunger and malnutrition have reached these critical levels, this report draws on the analyses of the past four editions, which have produced a vast, evidence-based body of knowledge of the major drivers behind the recent changes in food security and nutrition. These drivers, which are increasing in frequency and intensity, include conflicts, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns – all exacerbated by the underlying causes of poverty and very high and persistent levels of inequality. In addition, millions of people around the world suffer from food insecurity and different forms of malnutrition because they cannot afford the cost of healthy diets. From a synthesized understanding of this knowledge, updates and additional analyses are generated to create a holistic view of the combined effects of these drivers, both on each other and on food systems, and how they negatively affect food security and nutrition around the world.