By the Numbers: The War on Hunger

By Solana Pyne
Mar 1, 2002 6:00 AMNov 12, 2019 6:44 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

there's actually some good news in the United Nations' new report on world hunger. At the end of the 1990s, there were 39 million fewer undernourished people in developing countries than there were a decade earlier. The bulk of the drop occurred in China, where the number of the hungry plummeted by 76 million. In India the undernourished rate fell from 25 percent to 23 percent, although the total number of the hungry increased due to population growth. Peru offers the most dramatic success. Rapid economic growth reduced the ranks of the hungry there by 6 million, or nearly 30 percent. Before, food was available but people could not afford it. "The key issue is income. There is no lack of food in the world market," says Alain de Janvry, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley.

1 free article left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

1 free articleSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.