What is Food Insecurity?
Food insecurity happens when people don’t have enough food or the right kind of food to live a healthy, active life. It often means relying on meals that lack the nutrition needed to grow and thrive.
In simple terms, food insecurity is a lack of access to enough good food in quantity, quality or both.
Today, over 1.3 billion people aren’t getting the daily calories they need to stay healthy. A 2022 USDA study found that people across 77 low- and middle-income countries didn’t have consistent access to the recommended minimum of 2,100 calories per day.
Are There Different Levels of Food Insecurity?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations believes there are two levels of food insecurity:
Moderate food insecurity: This means a person might be eating, but they worry about having enough food. They may be forced to eat less or settle for meals that aren’t nutritious.
Severe food insecurity: This means a person has run out of food entirely. In extreme cases, they may go a full day or more without eating.
Both levels affect a child’s ability to grow, learn and stay healthy. And both are realities for millions of families living in poverty today. Unlike in the United States and other high-income countries, food banks and government assistance programs are often limited or unavailable.
While many families globally feel the strain of rising food prices, families living in poverty around the world are the most vulnerable to the negative consequences of food insecurity.
Food Insecurity vs. Hunger: What’s the Difference?
Hunger[/blog/what-is-child-hunger] and food insecurity are closely related, but they aren’t the same. Hunger is the physical feeling of an empty stomach. It’s the pain or discomfort that comes from not eating enough. For many, food insecurity is the cause.
When hunger becomes chronic, it can lead to malnutrition. For a child suffering from malnutrition, not getting enough nutrients consistently over time will put their health, education and overall development at serious risk.
How Many People Go Hungry Around the World?
According to the FAO’s “2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report:
About 733 million people (one in 11 people) faced chronic hunger in 2023.
Nearly 2.33 billion people (29 percent of the global population) experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.
Of these, 864 million lived with severe food insecurity, going days without nourishment or food.
Before 2020, global hunger and food security[/blog/definition-of-food-security/] were relatively stable. But the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp rise, and those levels have remained high since. Each of these numbers represents a person, often a child, facing the reality of not knowing where their next meal will come from.
What Are the Effects of Hunger on Children?
According to the “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023” report:
Up to 45 million children under age five suffer from wasting. This is the most dangerous form of malnutrition and describes a child who has become severely underweight for their height.
148 million children under five have stunted growth caused by a long-term lack of essential nutrients in their diet.
Two in three children are not fed a diverse enough diet to support healthy growth and development.
“Child wasting is a life-threatening condition caused by insufficient nutrient intake, poor nutrient absorption and/or frequent or prolonged illness. Affected children are dangerously thin, with weakened immunity and a higher risk of mortality.”
— “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023,” Food and Agriculture Organization
How Does Hunger Affect Communities?
Food security hurts more than just the physical health of children. When families don’t have enough to eat, the effects ripple across entire communities. The impacts of low food security on a community include:
Higher health care costs and increased hospital visits.
Increased risk of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
Higher rates of violence and crime.
A less educated and competitive workforce with lower job performance.
Reduced earning potential for those without training or education.
Greater gender inequality between genders and across economic groups.
What Are the Causes of the Current Food Crisis?
The perfect storm of recent global crises has reversed decades of progress that saw millions of families lifted out of poverty. The world is now facing one of the most serious food insecurity challenges in recent history.
The global crises most affecting global hunger include:
Conflicts in countries like Sudan, Haiti, Gaza and other affected regions that displace families and disrupt food access.
The war in Ukraine, which has reduced the country’s supply of wheat, cooking oil and fertilizer.
Rising energy costs driven by global sanctions and market instability.
Supply chain issues that continue to delay food shipments and raise prices.
Runaway inflation that makes staple foods unaffordable for people in poverty.
Severe weather that decimates crops and the livelihood of the world’s impoverished who rely on small-scale agriculture.
The past COVID-19 pandemic, which left many impoverished families with little or no income or savings to rely on.
What Are the Solutions to Global Food Insecurity?
Solving the issue of household food insecurity around the world will require collaborative interventions across society that:
Build resilience to droughts, floods and other agricultural shocks.
Address water allocation and water rights.
Improve post-harvest food processing.
Reduce food waste.
Increase food safety.
Establish fair food trade and reduce disparities in distribution.
Protect and support small-scale farmers.
Expand and strengthen successful food access programs.
Address gaps in food access caused by gender or racial inequities.
Balance the nutritional value of food with its environmental impact.
Promote better land use and more diverse crop production.
How Does Compassion Help?
At Compassion, we know that hunger is one of the most urgent threats facing children in poverty. When a child doesn’t have enough to eat, every part of their development[/blog/early-childhood-development/] is at risk. Their health declines and it becomes harder to learn and imagine a better future.
We work with thousands of local churches around the world to identify and respond to food insecurity in their communities. Our frontline church partners know exactly which children and families are struggling to get by.
Through your support, Compassion equips churches to meet both the immediate and long-term needs of children facing hunger. Local staff regularly monitor children for signs of malnutrition and step in when support is needed.
Your donation to Compassion today helps address urgent food insecurity needs by providing:
Food assistance through healthy food kits that include rice, meat, milk, eggs and other essentials.
Medical care and therapeutic feeding for children showing signs of malnutrition.
Nutrition assistance for pregnant mothers and infants.
Prevention programs and income-generating activities that help families create stability and avoid food insecurity.
Right now, church partners around the world are seeing rising requests for food assistance. And with global hunger still high, this need is not going away anytime soon.
Together, we can give children the nourishment and stability they need to grow into thriving followers of Jesus. Your support helps local churches provide the food, care and encouragement every child deserves.
