World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

Bangladesh faces high poverty and undernutrition rates, which are 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, due to continued population growth, the absolute number of people living in poverty has changed little, with almost half the population living below the poverty line. More than 17 percent of the population (160 million) is still extremely poor and high levels of inequality have persisted over the same period.

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 70th in a list of 80 countries in the  2011 Global Hunger Index (GHI).  According to government figures, around 40 percent of the population are food insecure, meaning that more than 60 million people consume less than the minimum daily recommended amount of food. Achieving gender equality also 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, with nearly half of children under five (7.8 million) stunted (Household Food Security and Nutrition Assessment 2010). A staggering 18 percent of women are acutely malnourished, and roughly one third of adolescent girls in Bangladesh suffer from anemia and micronutrient deficiency. With more than two in three girls married before age 18, the risk of early pregnancy and resulting low birth weight baby is very high. Currently, more than one in five newborns have a low birth weight.  

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 has 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 51 percent of those in school will complete the full five-year cycle of 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 such as reducing food intake, withdrawing children 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 continue supporting 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 is also a key priority, with a focus on building community and household preparedness and resilience through innovative food and cash for work programmes.