How Many People Die of Starvation in Humanitarian Emergencies?, from the Refugee Policy Group think tank, examines the history of starvation in emergencies, including famines, droughts, wars and other crises. It finds a declining trend of deaths, despite the growth in overall population sizes and populations at risk. It concludes that in the 1990s some 150,000 – 200,000 deaths occurred in an average year and projected fewer starvation deaths in the decades ahead.
Looking at historical data, this review found that many reported levels of excess or famine-related deaths were found to be inaccurate, with both over-reporting seen, and under-reporting. It also notes that in many countries affected by famine, little to nothing is known about the health outcomes outside of the larger towns and cities.
Famines in the 1800s and during the great leap forward in China each accounted for over 10 million estimated deaths. Since 1959, or the great leap forward, annual numbers of starvation deaths have declined sharply as a result of integrated markets, global food production, billions of individuals graduating out of poverty, food assistance, government safety nets, and expert famine early warning systems.
Explore the monograph on starvation here and dive deeper into famine in our latest fact sheet.
