Goals for ending world hunger are likely to be missed, UN says

World hunger is trending in the wrong direction, according to a new United Nations report. Almost 690 million people — 9% of the world's population — went hungry last year, up by 10 million since 2018 and an increase of 60 million since 2014. The report also estimates that at the current rate, roughly 840 million people would be undernourished by 2030, and that the UN's goal of ending world hunger by that year would also not be met. The prevalence of undernourishment in Africa was twice as high as the global average, while more than half the number of undernourished individuals reside in Asia. Covid-19 is likely to exacerbate the scenario, the report suggests, as early estimates show up to 132 million people will go hungry this year from the effects of the pandemic.