Global hunger toll soars by 150 million as Covid and Ukraine war make their mark

Tenth of world's population now chronically undernourished, with spectre of widespread famine drawing ever closer, warns report

Famine: what is it, where will it strike and how should we respond?

The number of people going hungry in the world has risen by 150 million since the start of the Covid pandemic, the UN has said, warning that the food crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine risks pushing the worst-hit countries into famine.

Globally, the number suffering from chronic undernourishment rose to as many as 828 million last year, a rise of about 46 million on the previous year, and three times that increase if measured since the world shut down due to Covid, a report has found.