More than one in four children in the world are in serious food poverty

According to the latest Unicef report, this condition affects approximately 181 million children under the age of 5

ROME – A new Unicef report reveals that around 181 million children under the age of 5 – or 1 in 4 – live in conditions of serious food poverty, with a up to 50% greater chance of incurring acute malnutrition, a potentially lethal form of malnutrition.
For the first time Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood ) analyzes the consequences and causes of food deprivation among the world’s youngest children in around 100 countries and among various income groups.

The report finds that millions of children under age 5 lack access to and access to a nutritious and diverse diet to support optimal growth and development in early childhood and beyond.
Children who consume a maximum of two of the eight established food groups are considered to be in conditions of serious food poverty. Four out of 5 children in this situation are fed only breast milk/milk and/or a starchy staple food, such as rice, corn or wheat. Less than 10% of these children eat fruit and vegetables. And less than 5% eat nutrient-rich foods such as eggs, fish, poultry or meat.

“Children living in severe food poverty are children on the edge. It is a reality for millions of young children right now and can have an irreversible negative impact on their survival, growth and brain development,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Director-General. “Children who consume only two food groups a day, for example rice and a little milk, are up to 50% more likely to suffer from some serious form of malnutrition.”

The Report finds that although countries are still recovering from the socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the effects of growing inequalities, conflicts and the climate crisis have pushedfood prices and the cost of living to levels record. Of the 181 million children living in severe food poverty, 65% reside in just 20 countries. Approximately 64 million children affected are in South Asia and 59 million in sub-Saharan Africa.

THE SITUATION IN THE GAZA STRIP

In the Gaza Strip, months of fighting and restrictions on humanitarian aid have collapsed nutrition and health systems, with catastrophic consequences for children and families. Five data sets collected between December 2023 and April 2024 consistently found that 9 out of 10 children in the Gaza Strip live in severe food poverty, surviving on two or fewer food groups a day. This is evidence of the terrible impact that conflict and restrictions are having on families’ ability to meet children’s food needs, and how quickly this is putting children at risk of life-threatening malnutrition.

In Somalia, a country affected by conflicts, droughts and floods,63% of children live in conditions of serious food poverty and, in the most vulnerable communities, over 80% of people caretakers reported that their children were unable to eat for an entire day.

The report finds that around half (46%) of all cases of severe child food poverty occur in poor families, where income poverty is likely to be a major factor, while 54% – or 97 million of children – lives in relatively wealthier families, among which poor food environments and feeding practices are the main drivers of food poverty in early childhood.

SEVERAL FACTORS FUEL THE CRISIS OF FOOD POVERTY

Several factors are fueling the food poverty crisis among children, including food systems that fail to provide children with nutritious, safe and accessible options, families’ inability to afford nutritious foods, and inability of parents to adopt and support positive child feeding practices. In many contexts, low-cost, nutrient-poor ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks are aggressively marketed to parents and families and represent the new normal for children’s nutrition. These unhealthy foods and drinks are consumed by an alarming percentage of children in food poverty, eliminating healthier, more nutritious foods from their daily diet.

THERE ARE ALSO POSITIVE DATA

At the same time, notable successes have been achieved. For example, Burkina Faso halved severe child food poverty from 67% in 2010 to 32% in 2021. Nepal reduced severe child food poverty from 20% in 2011 to 8% in 2022. Peru maintains the rate below 5% since 2014 despite the prolonged period of economic decline and Rwanda has reduced the rate from 20% in 2010 to 12% in 2020.