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Hunger Facts

United States Hunger Facts

*Most of these facts have increased from 2008 probably due to the recent recession*

Poverty
  • 56.8 million people, or 18.7 percent of all Americans, lived on less than 125 percent of the federal poverty level in 2009. This means they are income-eligible for most federal nutrition programs, like food stamps and other child nutrition programs. These programs can help families and children stretch their food dollars and get access to healthy foods.
  • 43.6 million Americans - or 14.3 percent of our population - lived in poverty, an increase of 3.8 million people from 2008. Children continue to be the poorest age group in the country.
  • 15.5 million children, or 20.7 percent of all children under age 18, were poor - a larger percentage than any other age group. This was an increase from 2008, when 14.1 million children (19 percent) lived in poverty.
  • 6.9 million (9.3 percent) of all children under 18 lived in families with incomes below 50 percent of the federal poverty level.
  • 23.8 percent of related children under age six in families lived in poverty.
  • 8.9 percent of all Americans 65 and over, or 3.4 million elderly, were poor.
  • The poverty rate for non-Hispanic whites was 9.4 percent, 25.8 percent for blacks, 25.3 percent for Hispanics, and 12.5 percent for Asians.
  • 50.7 million people did not have health insurance, an increase from 46.3 million in 2008. Median income fell to $49,777.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data* released on September 16, 2010 http://frac.org/reports-and-resources/2008-poverty-statistics/

Hunger
  • Of the 50.2 million people living in food insecure households (up from 36.2 million in 2008), 33.0 million are adults (14.5 percent of all adults) and 17.2 million are children (23.2 percent of all children)
  • 17.7 million people lived in households that were considered to have "very low food security," a USDA term (previously denominated "food insecure with hunger") that means one or more people in the household were hungry over the course of the year because of the inability to afford enough food.
  • Very low food security had been getting worse even before the recession. The number of people in this category in 2009 is more than double the number in 2000.
  • Black (24.9 percent) and Hispanic (26.9 percent) households experienced food insecurity at far higher rates than the national average.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that in 2009 http://frac.org/reports-and-resources/hunger-data/

World Hunger Facts

  • In 2009, it was estimated that more than 1.02billion people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union combined. That means one in nearly six people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life.
    Source: World Food Programme, 2010.
  • Out of the 1.02 billion who are hungry, more than 907 million of them live in developing countries.
    Source: World Food Programme, 2009.
  • 25,000 people (adults and children) die every day from hunger and related causes. Source: FAO, 2009.
  • In 2007, the number of undernourished people in the world increased by 75 million, primarily due to the increase in food prices.
    Source: World Food Programme, 2009.
  • Asia and the Pacific region are home to over half the world's population and nearly two thirds of the world's hungry people.
    Source: World Food Programme, 2009.
  • More than 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women.
    Source: World Food Programme, 2009.
  • There are about 1 billion people in the world living on less than $1 a day. Roughly 2.6 billion people live on less than $2 per day -which is40% of the world's population. Almost half the world - over 3 billion people - lives on less than $2.50.
    Source: Global Issues, 2010.
  • Malnutrition remains the world's most serious health problem and the single biggest contributor to child mortality, more than HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria combined.
    Source: USAID, 2009.
  • Nearly one-third of children in the developing world are chronically malnourished.
    Source: USAID, 2009.
  • Under nutrition contributes to more than one-half of the 9.7 million deaths of children under five each year in developing countries. This means that one child dies every six seconds from malnutrition and related causes.
    Source: World Food Programme, 2009.
  • 925 million people do not have enough to eat and 98 percent of them live in developing countries. (Source: FAO news release, 14 September 2010)
  • Asia and the Pacific region is home to over half the world's population and nearly two thirds of the world's hungry people;
    (Source: FAO news release, 2010)
  • Women make up a little over half of the world's population, but they account for over 60 percent of the world's hungry.
    (Source: Strengthening efforts to eradicate hunger..., ECOSOC, 2007)
  • 65 percent of the world's hungry live in only seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
    (Source: FAO news release, 2010)
  • Under nutrition contributes to five million deaths of children under five each year in developing countries.
    (Source: Under five deaths by cause, UNICEF, 2006)
  • One out of four children - roughly 146 million - in developing countries is underweight
    (Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)
  • More than 70 percent of the world's underweight children (aged five or less) live in just 10 countries, with more than 50 per cent located in South Asia alone;
    (Source: Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
  • 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths;
    (Source: The State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 2007)
  • Iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, affecting an estimated 2 billion people. Eradicating iron deficiency can improve national productivity levels by as much as 20 percent.
    (Source: World Health Organization, WHO Global Database on Anaemia)
  • Iodine deficiency is the greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage, affecting 1.9 billion people worldwide. It can easily be prevented by adding iodine to salt.
    (Source: World Nutrition Situation 5th report ,UN Standing Committee on Nutrition2005)

    • http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats

    Israel

    • Population: 7,308,800 [11]
    • # living below poverty line in 2008: 1,651,300, 23.7%[12]
    Other Stats:
    • Hunger is on the rise in Israel. Throughout the country, increasing numbers of Israelis are relying on emergency food programs to meet their most basic nutritional needs.
    • According to the National Insurance Institute, approximately 783,600 children live below the national poverty line.[12]
    • Over 20% of Israel's elderly live below the national poverty line

    Hunger in Michigan

    Interactive Map of Poverty Data:
    http://halfinten.org/issues/articles/poverty-data-by-congressional-district/