A new Oxfam study reported that 11 people are likely dying every minute from hunger, outpacing even COVID-19 fatalities ever since the pandemic began. The pandemic is approximately killing around seven people per minute. The ‘Hunger Virus Multiplies’ report states that conflict remains the primary cause of famine since the pandemic, pushing over half a million people into famine-like conditions. This is a significant six-fold increase since 2020. There are approximately 155 million people globally who live in crisis levels of food insecurity or worse.
This is a 20 million more than 2020, with around 2 out of every 3 going hungry mainly due to war and conflict. The pandemic worsened the situation, delivering economical damage to the countries in question and adding further issues of mass unemployment and distributed food production. Meanwhile, global food prices have surged by 40% due to the pandemic. Ethiopia, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen are amongst of these hunger hotspots.
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Photo Source: The Bengen Project