The United Nations said Wednesday that the number of people without enough food to eat daily reached an all-time high last year. The organization noted that the situation is getting worse as the war in Ukraine affects food production worldwide. Almost 193 million people in 53 countries suffered from what the U.N. called food insecurity in 2021. It was caused by conflict, extreme weather, and the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.N. said the total number of people without enough food to eat daily increased by 40 million over the period. It confirmed a worrisome trend of yearly increases. The numbers appeared in the Global Report on Food Crisis. The report is produced jointly by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program, and the European Union. Countries experiencing extended conflicts, including Afghanistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, had the most food-insecure populations, the report said.
