According to the global hunger index (GHI) report the state chronic food insecurity and malnutrition in Ethiopia is categorized as serious. With a score of 21.1, Ethiopia ranks 90th out of the 116 countries with sufficient data to calculate GHI.
Also according to the report, since 2000 Ethiopia’s GHI score has decreased by a 29.4 points decline of 55 percent. “The GHI score is failing at an ever slower rate meaning that progress in the fight against chronic food in security and malnutrition is at a deceleration while levels of malnutrition continue to be high and concerning,” underlines the report.
According to the index, nearly 40 percent of the population in Tigray Afar and Amhara are affected by the conflict and face an emergency level of acute food insecurity. Emergency out comes are also expected in the worst affected drought areas in the south and south east parts of the region.
Conflict, desert locust inversion, climate shocks such as flood and drought, Covid-19 impact, decline in budgetary support and the large nation trade deficit, driving high inflation and depreciation are key drivers of humanitarian needs. Also the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine further threatens the global and Ethiopian food insecurity with the disruption in the agriculture supply chain which about 25 percent Ethiopia’s wheat import comes from Ukraine in addition to the rising food price around the world.
Ethiopia loses about 16.5 percent of its GDP each year to the long term effect of chronic malnutrition and stunning while it suffers losing 55.5 billion birr associated with child under nutrition.
As the report indicates, in 2021 Ethiopia experienced the largest annual increase in the number of people facing food crises or worse.
The mid-year review of the Ethiopia humanitarian response plan for 2021 showed that humanitarian partners were providing 12.8 million people with food assistance, 8 million of whom receive other types of assistance.
In addition 2 million people receive nonfood assistance despite the fact that 2.62 million people are internally displaced.
