Hunger in Latin America at highest in 2 decades: UN report

BOGOTA, Colombia

Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean is at its highest point since 2000, according to a UN report published Tuesday.

Due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2020, the number of people living with hunger climbed 13.8 million, reaching 60 million people, said the UN Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition.

It means that four of 10 people in the region of 267 million people experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

"We must say it loud and clear: Latin America and the Caribbean is facing a critical food security situation," said Julio Berdegue, regional representative for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

The pandemic swept away jobs, increased informality and pushed many in the region into poverty, the report warned.

Due to the economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hunger rate in the region is at the highest it has been in the last 20 years. Before the pandemic, about 7% of Latin America's population was exposed to hunger. Undernourishment in the region has now reached 9.1%.

The experience of food insecurity did not affect men and women equally. During 2020, 41.8% of women in the region experienced moderate or severe food security compared to 32.2% of men.

The countries with the highest malnutrition rates were Haiti (46.8 %), Venezuela (27.4%), Nicaragua (19.3%), Guatemala (16.8%) and Honduras (13.5%).

The report also highlights that obesity, another form of malnutrition, is affecting almost 25% of adults, well above the world average (13.1%).

Some 106 million people are overweight, with childhood obesity continuing to rise, according to the report.

The Bahamas is one of the countries with the highest rates of obesity in adults, with more than 30%, while Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Suriname and Uruguay also exceeded 25%.