The 2014 Global Hunger Index, now available from the International Food Policy Research Institute, Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide, shows a steady decrease in hunger in most developing countries.While great strides have been made to feed the world, hunger persists: some 805 million people go hungry every day because they don’t get enough to eat, and even those who eat enough calories can still suffer from “hidden hunger”– deficiencies in micronutrients that are often harder to detect but devastating in their impact.

Levels of hunger are still “alarming” in 14 countries, and “extremely alarming” in Burundi and Eritrea. In addition, a staggering 2 billion people globally suffer from “hidden hunger,” or micronutrient deficiency. Hidden hunger holds countries back in a cycle of poor nutrition, poor health, lost productivity, poverty, and reduced economic growth.

Sustainably tackling hidden hunger requires multisectoral action on all levels and a post-2015 framework that includes a universal goal to end hunger and malnutrition in all its forms and clear mechanisms to ensure accountability. Alongside the multi-sectoral coordination, the report acknowledges the importance of  “behavioral change communication … to educate people about health services, sanitation and hygiene, and caring practices, as well as the need for greater empowerment of women at all levels.”

Read the full report here!

Findings for THP’s Program Countries

The following table presents a selection of findings from the 2014 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report for The Hunger Project’s program countries.

	Proportion of undernourished in the population (%)	Prevalence of underweight in children under five years (%)	Under-five mortality rate (%)	Global Hunger Index (GHI)
Year	’04–’06             ’11–’13	’03–’07            ’09–’13	2005          2012	2005         2014
Bangladesh	15.3                    16.3	37.3                  36.8	6.8              4.1	19.8            19.1
Benin	13.8                     6.1	20.2                 18.4 *	12.0             9.0	15.3            11.2
Bolivia	29.9                    21.3	5.9                   4.4 *	5.8               4.1	13.9             9.9
Burkina Faso	25.8                   25.0	37.6                 24.4	16.0              10.2	26.5             19.9
Ethiopia	46.8                   37.1	34.6                 29.2	11.0              6.8	30.8             24.4
Ghana	11.2                   2.9 *	13.9                 13.4	8.8                7.2	11.3             7.8
India	21.5                    17.0	43.5                 30.7	7.5                5.6	24.2             17.8
Malawi	26.4                   20.0	18.4                 13.8	12.0               7.1	18.9             13.6
Mexico	0.1 *                   0.7 *	3.4                   2.8	2.0                 1.6	<5               <5
Mozambique	39.9                    36.8	21.2                15.6	13.2               9.0	24.8             20.5
Uganda	27.8                    30.1	16.4                14.1	10.9                6.9	18.4             17.0
Peru	21.9                    11.8	5.4                   3.4	2.8                  1.8	10.0              5.7
Senegal	18.4                    21.6	14.5                 15.7	9.9                  6.0	14.3             14.4

* IFPRI estimates