The United Nations defines food security as physical, social, and economic access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. By this definition, around 10 percent of the world’s inhabitants do not have food security.

Undernourishment is dietary energy consumption that is continuously below that needed for a healthy life and carrying out light physical activity. As a percentage of a country’s population, undernourishment is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. One-fourth of the population in sub-Saharan Africa and one-fifth in South Asia are undernourished.

Percentage of Population Who Are Undernourished, 2017

The U.N. estimates that 803 million people in the world are undernourished, one-half of them in South Asia and East Asia. The largest numbers are in India and China, the world’s two most populous countries. India has one-fourth of the world’s undernourished people (Figure 9-5). Overall, 98 percent of the world’s undernourished people are in developing countries.

Distribution of Undernourishment By Country, 2017

Figures are millions of people.

The world as a whole has made progress in reducing hunger during the twenty-first century. Between 2000 and 2017, the number of undernourished people declined from 924 million to 803 million, and the percentage of people who are undernourished declined from 15 percent in 2000 to 11 percent (Figure 9-6). East Asia, led by China, has had by far the largest decrease in the number and percentage undernourished, followed by Southeast Asia.

Change in Undernourishment

Pause & Reflect 9.1.2

Compare undernourishment in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In which region is poor food security a more urgent problem? Explain your answer.

Food Prices

The greatest challenge to world food security in the twenty-first century has been food prices rather than food supply. People on average spend less than 20 percent of their income on food in developed countries, compared with more than 40 percent in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Food prices more than doubled between 2006 and 2008, remained at record high levels through 2014, declined sharply in 2015, and increased in 2017. Fierce competition among supermarkets helps keep prices lower in developed countries.

Income Spent on Food

Global Food Price Index

Worldwide food prices have more than doubled since 2000.

Prices: Developed Countries

Competition among supermarket chains helps keep prices lower in the United Kingdom and other developed countries.

The U.N. attributes the record high food prices to four factors:

Poor weather, especially in major crop-growing regions of the South Pacific and North America.

Higher demand, especially in China and India.

Smaller growth in productivity, especially without major new “miracle” breakthroughs.

Use of crops as biofuels instead of food, especially in Latin America.

On the other hand, record-high food prices have stimulated record-high prices for prime agricultural land. Adjusting for inflation, the price of farmland in Iowa increased from around $2,500 per acre in 2000 to $10,000 in 2018.