The 2022 Global Food Security Index shows that the food system has been weakening over the years due to an increasingly volatile world
● Affordability scores have dropped dramatically on a global scale
● Climate change continues to threaten food security from multiple fronts
● European economies remain the most food secure

London, United Kingdom, 20th September 2022—The 11th edition of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) reveals a fragile global food system ill prepared to weather shocks like the war in Ukraine and this summer’s heatwaves. The study from Economist Impact, supported by Corteva Agriscience, finds that insufficient investment and increasing volatility continue to drive the deterioration of the global food environment. This year’s skyrocketing food prices and rising global hunger are not just the product of conflict and extreme weather; they are also the reflection of a
worrying trend of declining resilience in our food system.

Key findings from the 2022 GFSI:
● Affordability scores have dropped globally: Affordability scores have dropped by 4%
between 2019 and 2022, dragging overall scores down in the 2022 GFSI. This decline has
been driven by the covid-19 pandemic and higher prices for agricultural inputs, combined with
weakening trade freedom and government inability to fund safety nets. This sharp fall does
not include the most recent developments, including global food price inflation of 7.9%.
● European economies are the most food secure: 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). Japan (scoring 79.5) and Canada (scoring 79.1) round out the
remainder of the top ten.
● The least food-secure countries are active conflict zones and face severe climate risks:
Syria is at the bottom of the list (with a score of 36.3), followed by Haiti (scoring 38.5) and
Yemen (scoring 40.1). Consistent with past years of the index, six of the bottom ten scoring
nations in 2022 come from Sub-Saharan Africa, where climate risks are most acute and three
countries are also dealing with conflict.
● The food security situation across nations varies widely: The average score of the top
ten countries is twice that of the bottom ten, and Syria achieves less than half Finland’s score.
This inequality has increased over time. The difference between the top performer and the
country at the bottom of the ranking has continued widening since 2019.
● Irrigation systems and water management techniques need urgent attention to counter
the effects of climate change: Extreme weather and warmer temperatures demand that we
use water resources effectively, yet the 2022 GFSI shows that policymakers are falling short
in efforts to manage water risk. Irrigation infrastructure has been largely unchanged in the 11
years of the GFSI, remaining the lowest scoring of all measures in the index.