New York: One-third of the Arab population is starving, according to a UN report. According to a report released on Thursday, the number of people suffering from malnutrition in the Arab world will increase from 4.8 million to 6.9 million between 2019 and 2020. This comes to 16 per cent of the total population. The report was released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The FAO report notes that malnutrition has increased in conflict-affected countries and those not directly affected. About 141 million people did not get enough food last year. This is an increase of one crore over 2019. The number of malnourished people has increased by 48 lakh since 2019 due to the financial crisis caused by the Kovid epidemic. Currently, 5.34 crore people are suffering in the conflict-affected areas.
Somalia and Yemen will be the most hungry countries by 2020. About 60 percent of Somalis are starving and more than 45 percent of Yemenis are suffering from malnutrition, the report said. According to the report, hunger in the Arab region has increased by 91.1 percent over the past 20 years.
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