2015 Global Hunger Index: Armed Conflict and the Challenge of Hunger

The level of hunger in developing countries as a group has fallen by 27 percent since 2000. While the world has made progress in reducing hunger in recent decades, the state of hunger is still serious or alarming in 52 countries. 

These findings come from the 2015 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, the tenth in an annual series that tracks the state of hunger worldwide, regionally, and by country, turning a spotlight on those regions and countries where action is needed most to address hunger.

This report's GHI scores are based on a new, improved formula that reflects the multidimensional nature of hunger by combining four indicators related to undernourishment, wasting, stunting, and child mortality.

The report features an essay, "Armed Conflict and the Challenge of Hunger: Is an End in Sight?" In it, Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation, shares a scoop about a historic achievement. Calamitous famines—those that cause more than 1 million deaths each—seem to have disappeared. He analyzes the reasons behind the famines as well as what needs to be done to prevent them from coming back. 

Although hunger and armed conflict have often travelled hand in hand, history has shown that hunger can be averted. If humanitarian responses in the modern world are effective, conflict need not necessarily lead to the extreme hunger that is famine.