11 People are Likely Dying Every Minute from Hunger, Now Outpacing COVID-19 Fatalities

A year and a half since the pandemic began, deaths from hunger are outpacing the virus. Ongoing conflict, combined with the economic disruptions of the pandemic and an escalating climate crisis, has deepened poverty and catastrophic food insecurity in the world’s hunger hotspots. 

A new Oxfam report released today shows that the West African Sahel region –Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal -is seeing a staggering 67% surge in hunger, continuing to be one of the fastest growing hunger crises in the world. In a new report released today by Oxfam, the Sahel region of West Africa is experiencing an alarming 67 percent increase in hunger, making it one of the most severe hunger crises in the world. Since Oxfam's last report "The Hunger Virus" in July 2020, the number of people in food crisis has passed the 15 million mark, and this number is expected to exceed 22 million during the upcoming lean season. Armed conflict remains the leading cause of displacement and hunger in the region. Yet, despite the need to allocate resources to address the food crisis, budgets continue to be allocated to military spending.