Food Insecurity to Increase in 2021 at a Higher Rate in Lower Income Countries

Food insecurity is a persistent challenge for millions of people around the world and can be intensified by negative shocks to income, prices, or food supply like those incurred with the global economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) International Food Security Assessment, 2021-2031, (IFSA) report uses the above determinants to analyze food security conditions in 76 low- and middle-income countries, all of which are historic or current food aid recipients. The assessment finds that per capita incomes in 2021 remain below their pre-pandemic levels for most countries in the assessment. Fluctuating food prices, and in part driven by income-related shocks, have heightened the level of food insecurity in 2021 for all 76 countries—in particular, in lower income countries