Namibia has 'moderate hunger problem'

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEK Namibia has hugely improved its ranking in a global report, moving from being categorised as having serious hunger last year to having moderate hunger this year. The country ranked 70th among 107 nations in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2020, and is now categorised as having a moderate hunger problem. Last year, Namibia was ranked 84th out of 117 countries and was categorised as having a serious hunger problem. The index scores countries on a 100-point 'severity scale', where zero is the best score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst. With a score of 19.1, Namibia suffers from a level of hunger that is 'moderate', according to the report. Last year, Namibia's score was 24.3. Key indicators Namibia is one of 26 countries indicating moderate levels of hunger. The country has managed to improve its score since 2010 when it stood at 30.9. In 2005, the country was scored 28.4 and in 2000, Namibia's score was 30.7. The index, which is now in its 14th year, ranks countries based on four key indicators: Undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting and child stunting. According to the report, the proportion of undernourished people in Namibia stands at 14.7%. This has decreased from 24% since 2010. The prevalence of wasting in children under the age of five has slightly decreased from 7.1% in 2010 to 6.4% in 2019. Meanwhile, the prevalence of stunting in children under five has increased slightly, from 22.7% in 2010 to 23.4%, while the under-five mortality rate has decreased from 5.8% in 2010 to 4%.At regional level, South Asia and Africa south of the Sahara have the highest scores in the world this year, at 26 and 27.8 respectively. These scores indicate serious levels of hunger. Slow progress The index shows that although hunger worldwide has gradually declined since 2000, in many places progress is too slow and hunger remains severe.“The world is not on track to achieve the second Sustainable Development Goal - known as Zero Hunger for short - by 2030. At the current pace, approximately 37 countries will fail to even reach low hunger, as defined by the GHI Severity Scale, by 2030,” the report said. “These projections do not account for the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, which may worsen hunger and undernutrition in the near term and affect countries' trajectories into the future.” Alarming hunger problem With a score of 44.7, Chad is ranked highest among the countries considered to have an alarming hunger problem. Chad is followed by Timor-Leste with a score of 37.6 and Madagascar with 36.The report is a joint effort by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.

Namibia has 'moderate hunger problem'

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-17

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Namibia has 'moderate hunger problem'

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-17

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