• A Tragedy of Great Magnitude
    Awake!—2003 | February 22

    • Who Is Affected?

      Malnutrition is not limited to children. According to a WHO report of July 2001, “malnutrition casts long shadows, affecting close to 800 million people​—20% of all people in the developing world.” This means that 1 out of every 8 people in the world suffers from it.

      While the largest number of undernourished people are found in Asia​—mainly in the southern and central zones—​the population with the highest percentage of undernourished people is in Africa. Some developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are next on the list.

      Are developed countries free from malnutrition? No. According to The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2001, 11 million people who live in industrialized countries suffer from malnutrition. An additional 27 million undernourished people live in what are called transitional countries, especially ones in Eastern Europe and republics of the former Soviet Union.