Philomena Irene ( in fez cap), UNICEF nutrition specialist, speaks to women about food that will boost nutrient intake, in Kaltungo Poshereng, Nigeria, June 2, 2024. UNICEF said June 6 that one in four children under age 5 worldwide is experiencing severe food poverty.
Severe food poverty is being experienced by one in four children under age five around the world, and is vulnerable to life-threatening malnutrition, a UNICEF report released Thursday, has revealed.
Some 27% of children under age five — or 181 million, are fed no more than two of the eight food groups per day that UNICEF recognises, which the agency classifies as severe food poverty. When children are not consuming vital nutrients, they are more likely to experience wasting, the most severe form of malnutrition.
Said Harriet Torlesse, one of the report’s authors: “When wasting becomes very severe, they are 12 times more likely to die”.
Over two-thirds of the 181 million young children living in severe food poverty live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with 20 countries accounting for 65% of the children living in severe food poverty.
UNICEF said in the report that progress was not being made quickly enough, though, the agency noted that severe food poverty among young children in West and Central Africa fell from 42% in 2012 to 32% in 2022. The report said robust actions, including government investments in child nutrition and child feeding counseling, had contributed to lower severe food poverty in children.
Severe child food poverty in Gaza has been widespread since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas. Between December 2023 and April 2024, nine out of 10 children have been living in severe food poverty, which the report said was one of the highest percentages it had recorded.
The report also found that children in both poor and non-poor households face severe food poverty. About half (97 million) of the children in severe food poverty live in middle- and upper-income households, disclosed the report.
The report encouraged a broad range of stakeholders, including governments, humanitarian organisations, the food industry and the media, to commit to “a bold and broad response” to severe food poverty.
