Conflicts, climate, Covid-19 mean millions more go hungry worldwide

Almost 830 million people worldwide are going hungry according to a new report by the German NGO Welthungerhilfe.
The group's World Hunger Index 2022 showed that conflicts, the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, together with structural problems, are undermining progress in the fight against hunger.
The war in Ukraine has further exacerbated the situation, the group said, although it did not play a role in the data for the latest report, which was collected last year.
Compared to the previous year, the number of hungry people worldwide increased from 811 to 828 million. Of those, 193 million people were suffering from acute hunger, Welthungerhilfe said.
"The war in Ukraine has continued to drive up global food, energy and fertilizer prices and will continue to significantly exacerbate hunger in 2023 and beyond. These crises compound structural causes of hunger such as poverty, inequality, poor governance and infrastructure, and low agricultural productivity," it said on its website.
Welthungerhilfe ranked 121 countries based on four indicators: undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting (which is related to weight) and child stunting (related to height).
The lowest placed country was Yemen, where 41.4% of the population was undernourished.
In 35 countries, the hunger situation was classified as serious and in 9 as very serious. The highest hunger rates were in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.