Ranked: These are the countries with the highest (and lowest) death rate from malnutrition, 2024

Food is readily available worldwide and its production has been greatly improved due to technological advancements. Today, food can be organic or ultra-processed, and people consume it to obtain the energy they require for their daily activities and survival. Despite this, deaths caused by starvation are still a reality. Many people worldwide lose their lives every day due to the lack of nutritious food to eat. CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers believe that this issue is essential to be addressed as starvation is a global problem. In their report, the researchers shed light on the nature of starvation as a social and international issue. They also provide information about the countries in four out of the world’s seven continents that have high incidences of starvation deaths. Readers will gain a better understanding of the severity of this global dilemma.

What is starvation?

Starvation is considered the most extreme kind of malnutrition. This social problem involves people suffering from an intense dearth in caloric energy intake. They are unable to take in the right kinds and amounts of food necessary to keep themselves alive and healthy. People who remain hungry for long periods suffer from permanent organ damage and death.

In every continent, which country has the greatest number of starvation-induced deaths?

CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers included the following table, which shows the country with the highest incidence of starvation deaths. The data reflects the age-standardized average quantity of deaths due to starvation or protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) per 100,000 people. Readers will find that Angola tops the list above with 101.32 PEM deaths per 100,000 people. Other African countries are also included, such as Mali, Somalia, Benin, Central African Republic, Madagascar, and Eritrea, where poverty and political and social instability are elevated. These social problems worsen these countries’ problems with starvation.

Countries with the highest (and lowest) death rate from malnutrition 2024

Meanwhile, in four of the world’s seven continents, CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers found that there is a standout country in which deaths caused by starvation are high. Here are five of these countries:

AFRICA: In Africa and around the world, Angola is the country with the highest rate of starvation deaths, with 101.32 PEM deaths per 100,000 people. This trend is linked to food insecurity caused by the almost constant civil strife in the country. Angolan people suffer from intermittent food shipments. Many lost their lives to starvation caused by agricultural lands mined and bombed heavily.

ASIA: Bangladesh is the world’s 8th most populated country, with 169.4 million people at the time of writing this report. This developing country in Asia is one of the fast-growing economy. Nevertheless, Bangladesh is the country in this continent that has the highest starvation death incidence, with a malnutrition death rate of 56.36 deaths per 100,000 people. Analysts point to the high level of income inequality in the South Asian country as the main cause of this bleak trend. People enjoy high living standards in Dhaka and other large cities in Bangladesh (Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Gazipur). But in rural areas, people have poor living conditions. Many of them are subsistence farmers constantly struggling with food insecurity.

EUROPE: France is in the top 10 list of the world’s largest economies as of 2024. Being one of the world’s industrialized countries, readers may not believe that this European country has the highest rate of starvation deaths in the continent. From the research by CEOWORLD researchers, they found that France may rank 98th in the world when it comes to starvation deaths. Yet, in the continent, it has the highest incidence, with 2.86 starvation deaths per 100,000 people. In France, malnutrition is still a critical issue, and many of those grappling with food insecurity are recent immigrants hailing from Africa. Among this demographic, the poverty incidence is much higher than in France. This trend is widely associated with the heightened hardship of this group assimilating to mainstream French society and getting well-paid employment.

NORTH AMERICA: Mexico has a diversified, and strong economy and productive manufacturing sector. Nonetheless, CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers discovered that it is the country in North America that has the highest death rate caused by malnutrition. The starvation death rate in Mexico is 6.56 deaths per 100,000 people. This North American country’s people have struggled with malnutrition due to the lack of infrastructure development. This problem is widely attributed to the widespread corruption in Mexico. Furthermore, much of this country’s produce is exported to the United States and Canada.

In today’s technology-driven and fast-paced modern world, many people believe that starvation is a problem of the past. However, this global issue still persists today. The United Nations World Food Programme has the responsibility of putting an end to malnutrition and starvation deaths. While this international organization is working tirelessly, it needs more funding and cannot solve the problem of starvation alone.

CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers suggest that more work needs to be done by various groups, including governments, non-governmental organizations, private corporations, and citizens of the world. By collaborating in synergy, these groups can effectively avert starvation deaths and put an end to this longstanding problem.

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