The Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021 gathers the latest data on the food security and nutrition situation in Latin America and the Caribbean region, showing a worrisome landscape.

A joint publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the report warns that, in 2020, hunger and food insecurity rose more sharply in Latin America and the Caribbean than in any other region in the world.

In just one year, and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people living with hunger in Latin America and de Caribbean increased by 13.8 million, reaching 59.7 million people (9.1 per cent of the population). Also, four out of every ten people in the region ––267 million–– experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2020, 60 million more than in 2019, an increase of nine percentage points, the most pronounced rise in relation to other world regions.

The report warns that the region is also losing the battle against other forms of malnutrition.  106 million people —one in every four adults— suffer from obesity and, in 2020, 3.9 million children —7.5 per cent of those under five years of age— were overweight.