War, drought, El Niño

Africa: 16 million people threatened by hunger crisis

Children in conflict and war zones in particular suffer from severe poverty and hunger.(Bild: AFP)

Drought, El Niño and economic instability are threatening the survival of more than 16 million people in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

Patrick Sikana, CARE Regional Director in Southern Africa: "This crisis is exacerbating poverty, inequality and has serious consequences for the health of women and children. While the world looks ahead to COP29, the consequences of climate change are already destroying livelihoods."

The countries in southern Africa hardly contribute to climate change, but are particularly affected by the devastating consequences. Children are the main victims. Over 478 million live in war zones. This harrowing reality means that one in six children lives in constant danger - especially in Africa, Ukraine and the Middle East.

A mother in Zambia prepares oatmeal porridge for her baby.(Bild: APA/GUNTHER LICHTENHOFER)

1.1 billion people worldwide live in extreme poverty
According to a UN report, 1.1 billion people live in extreme poverty, 40 percent of them in conflict zones. 

According to the report, more than half of those affected by this particularly severe poverty - 584 million people - are minors. That is 27.9 percent of children and young people worldwide. Among adults worldwide, the poverty rate is 13.5 percent.

Refugee camp in Malawi(Bild: AFP)

Poverty most extreme in India
According to the study, the majority of the 1.1 billion people affected, 83.2 percent, live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. India is the worst affected country. According to the report, 234 million of the country's 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty.

According to the report, poverty is also particularly high in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the UNDP and OPHI, almost half of the people living in extreme poverty live in these five countries.