Famines kill far fewer people than they used to – OWID

Famines kill far fewer people than they used to – OWID

Famines are still a problem, killing a million people last year, but economic development in the frontier markets, improved food security and poverty reduction means the number of people exposed to famine has fallen off rapidly in recent years. / bne IntelliNews

By bne IntelliNews May 22, 2025

Famines are still a major global problem. From 2020 to 2023 alone, they caused over a million deaths, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.

Yet the long-term trend shows significant progress. In the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, it was common for famines to kill over 10mn people per decade. This was true as recently as the 1960s, when China’s Great Leap Forward became the deadliest famine in history.

But as you can see in the chart, that number has dropped sharply, to about 1mn to 2mn per decade.

This improvement is even more striking given that the world’s population has grown substantially. Despite many more people living on Earth, far fewer die from famines than before.

This progress has resulted from various factors, including increased food production, poverty reduction, fewer conflicts and more accountable governments.

Learn more about why fewer people die from famines today

#bna #Africa #macro #Nigeria #Kenya #SouthAfrica #Ghana

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