World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

Bangladesh faces high poverty and undernutrition rates, exacerbated by frequent natural disasters and high population density. The percentage of the population living under the poverty line came down to 31.5 in 2010 from 40 in 2005, due to consistent economic and remittance growth (Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2010). However, 17.6 percent of the population is still extremely poor and the country did not perform well in redressing inequality during the period as wealth remained concentrated in the hands of a few people. Inequality (Gini) of per capita income stood at 0.458 in 2010, which was 0.467 in 2005.

Despite important economic progress, the country remains highly food-insecure. Bangladesh is ranked 129th out of 169 countries in the 2010 Human development Index (HDI), and 84 countries in the 2010 Global Hunger Index.  Around 60 million people consume less than the minimum daily recommended amount of food (HIES 2005). Achieving gender equality remains a challenge, as significant disparities persist in health, education and income.

The prevalence rates of global acute and chronic malnutrition among children under 2 in Bangladesh are alarming. Growth retardation, an outcome of chronic malnutrition, is widespread affecting an estimated 48.6 percent of the country’s 20 million children. A staggering 18.2 percent of women are acutely malnourished, and thus at high risk of giving birth to low birth-weight babies. Approximately one third of adolescent girls in Bangladesh suffer from anemia and micronutrient deficiency (Household Food Security and Nutrition Assessment 2009). 

Poverty, hunger and malnutrition hinder children’s access to education and ability to learn. Although Bangladesh has made encouraging progress in terms of net enrolment rates and achieved gender parity in primary education, major problems remain in terms of completion and drop-out rates, particularly for girls from extreme poor families. An estimated 3.3 million children remain out of school, and only 55 percent of those in school will complete primary education (UNICEF 2009).

Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Increased frequency of natural disasters, such as cyclones and floods, lean season crises and drought, is likely to undermine poverty reduction efforts. Coping strategies adopted by the poor like reducing food intake, withdrawing child from school and selling productive assets increases the vulnerability of low-income households and worsens people’s prospects for escaping the poverty cycle.

Despite these numerous challenges, WFP is able to draw on 37 years of operations in the country to support the Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. WFP works with the ultra-poor in areas of food security, nutritional well-being and livelihoods. WFP also is working with communities vulnerable to the impacts of Climate Change, building there resilience and livelihoods through innovative food and cash for work programmes.