Abstract:
At a time when global food security is of utmost importance, the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) shows that the global food environment is deteriorating. After hitting its peak in 2019, the GFSI has since declined amid skyrocketing food prices and hunger on an unprecedented scale. In GFSI 2022, affordability drags the index down. The index’s affordability score has fallen by 4%, from 71.9 to 69, between 2019 and 2022 as shocks like the covid-19 pandemic and the war on Ukraine have led to rising costs for food. In addition, weakening trade freedom and an inability to fund safety nets have made it harder for people to afford food around the world. Meanwhile, social and political barriers to access have dampened the availability of food. In the past three years, the GFSI has shown rising risks from armed conflicts and political instability, indicators which have seen scores fall by 4% and 6% respectively. This has been accompanied by a growing dependency on chronic food aid, the score for which has dropped by 8% since 2019. Eight of the top ten performers in 2022 come from high-income Europe, led by Finland (with a score of 83.7), Ireland (scoring 81.7) and Norway (scoring 80.5). These nations score strongly on all four pillars of the GFSI. Japan (scoring 79.5) and Canada (scoring 79.1) round out the remainder of the top ten.
