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Food Insecurity Around the World and in the United States
This activity explores how rates of food insecurity vary, both around the world and within various types of households in the United States.
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Prevalence of Food Insecurity Around the World
Households that are uncertain of having, or are unable to acquire, enough food to sustain all individuals in the home—either because of insufficient money or lack of other resources—have food insecurity. Children are most vulnerable, as inadequate food intake can lead to serious health, behavior, and cognitive deficits.
Wealthy countries tend to have lower rates of food insecurity, but the United States is a notable exception: Its prevalence of food hardship is more similar to that of China than of France.
Prevalence of Food Insecurity in the United States
An estimated 12 percent of U.S. households were food insecure at some point in 2017. That is a decrease from 2014, when 14 percent of U.S. families experienced food insecurity. The prevalence of very low food security also declined, from 4.9 percent in 2016 to 4.5 percent in 2017.
Click on each button to see what percentage of U.S. households with and without children experience food insecurity.
Food Insecurity Around the World and in the United States
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REFERENCES
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2016, February 9). Food security indicators. Retrieved from: www.fao.org/economic/ess/ess-fs/ess-fadata/
Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, and Anita Singh. Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2017, AP-079, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, September 2018.