Central African Republic is the Hungriest Country in Africa and the World

Global hunger levels have declined by 28% since 2000 — which is an incredible achievement. However, in almost half of the 119 countries we studied, hunger levels were serious or alarming.

The Central African Republic (CAR) remains at the top of this list as the “hungriest country in the world.” CAR has suffered from instability, ethnic violence and conflict since 2012, disrupting food production and displacing over one million people; 2.5 million people — more than half of its population are hungry. More than half the population are in need of humanitarian assistance.

CAR has suffered from instability, ethnic violence and conflict since 2012, disrupting food production, and displacing over one million people. 

14 countries were excluded from this year’s GHI list due to incomplete data, but the hunger situation in 7 of them is deeply concerning. Among these is war-torn South Sudan, where famine was declared last February. 

Also on this list is Somalia, which was at risk of famine in 2017, and Syria, where a brutal civil war has raged for more than seven years. In these countries — as well as Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, and Eritrea — violent conflict, political unrest, and/or extreme poverty have caused massive amounts of forced migration, which is closely linked to hunger.

The UN found that a variety of factors were hampering efforts in developing regions around the world, noting that in the worst affected countries: “extreme weather, natural disasters, political instability and civil strife have all impeded progress.”

FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva said: "The near-achievement of the MDG hunger targets shows us that we can indeed eliminate the scourge of hunger in our lifetime.

"We must be the Zero Hunger generation. That goal should be mainstreamed into all policy interventions and at the heart of the new sustainable development agenda to be established this year."

Top 10 Hungriest Countries in the World

Here are the top ten hungriest countries according to the 2018 Global Hunger Index, produced by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.