SOFI 2024: What Does Malnutrition Look Like Today?
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report provides invaluable insights into the complexities of hunger, malnutrition, and food access, highlighting both progress and ongoing challenges.
This latest edition of the SOFI report offers a comprehensive overview of key statistics, revealing trends in urban and rural food security, gender disparities, and the persistent issues of stunting, wasting, and other forms of malnutrition.
As we explore these findings, it becomes clear that while some advancements have been made, substantial efforts are still needed to address these pressing issues effectively.
How Urbanisation Affects Access to Food
While urbanisation typically brings improvements in infrastructure and access to resources, such as more efficient transportation and markets, it is crucial to analyse how these advantages are distributed among different areas.
The benefits of urbanisation may not be uniformly experienced across urban, peri-urban, and rural settings, affecting food security levels in varying ways. The 2023 findings reveal a trend of decreasing food insecurity with increasing urbanisation at the global level.
- Rural areas: The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity stands at 31.9%.
- Peri-urban areas: Food insecurity is slightly lower, at 29.9%.
- Urban areas: The prevalence drops further to 25.5%, reflecting better access to food in more urbanised settings.
Global Gender Disparities
In terms of gender disparities, the report highlights that food insecurity has consistently been higher among women than men since data collection began in 2015. The gender gap widened globally and in every region except Africa between 2019 and 2021, driven by the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s jobs and incomes, along with their increased burden of caregiving.
In 2022, the gender gap narrowed significantly as the pandemic eased, with the global difference in moderate or severe food insecurity falling to 2.3 percentage points, and further narrowing to 1.3 points in 2023. The gap for severe food insecurity dropped to 1 percentage point in 2022 and remained steady in 2023 in most regions. However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, the gap was 5.2 percentage points, with 30.3 percent of women and 25.1 percent of men experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity.
It is important to note that the narrowing gender gap is partly due to decreasing food insecurity among women and rising levels among men in Asia, Northern America, and Europe over the past two years. Women face higher food insecurity than men, even when accounting for income, education, and demographics, with gender norms and limited resources being key factors.
A Decade of Slow Progress and Stagnation
Despite some progress towards the goal of ending all forms of malnutrition, such as improvements in the global prevalence of stunting and wasting among children under five, and an increase in exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months, the broader picture remains concerning.
Stunting and Wasting
- Stunting (Children Under 5), a measure of chronic malnutrition, has declined globally from 26% in 2012 to 22% in 2022, but not fast enough. While rates have dropped, millions of children will still face long-term developmental challenges by 2030, especially in regions like Oceania, where stunting remains alarmingly high.
- Wasting (Children Under 5): Wasting, a severe form of acute malnutrition rates remain largely unchanged, from 7.5% in 2012 to 6.8% in 2022. At this pace, the world will fall short of the 2030 target of 3%.
Childhood Overweight and Adult Obesity
- Childhood Overweight: Overweight rates in children under five have stagnated at 5.6%, with countries like Australia and New Zealand seeing the highest levels at nearly 20%.
- Adult Obesity: Adult obesity has risen from 12% in 2012 to 16% in 2022 and is projected to exceed 1.2 billion people by 2030.
The double burden of malnutrition—combining undernutrition with overweight and obesity—has risen globally across all age groups and income levels. As countries develop, people move from eating mostly staple foods to a more varied diet with more dairy, meat, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods high in fats, sugars, and salt. This change is linked to globalisation, urbanisation, and more sedentary lifestyles.
This shift leads to a change in health issues from undernutrition and infectious diseases to overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and heart disease. Additionally, an ageing population with lower birth rates and longer life expectancy contributes to higher NCD risks.
From 1990 to 2022, many countries have seen a shift from underweight to overweight. Today, obesity is affecting more school-age children and adolescents compared to adults.
Conclusion
For more insights on the SOFI report, read our previous blogs where we explored the statistics on global hunger and food insecurity. Download the summary of the SOFI report here.
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