A new report states that there are approximately 155 million people living at a crisis level of food insecurity worldwide, an increase of 20 million from last year.

According to a new report from Oxfam, 11 people die of hunger every minute. The report also found that the number of people facing similar famines has increased by six times in the past year.

The “Hunger Virus Doubling” report published on Friday (PDF) Said that the number of deaths caused by famine exceeds COVID-19, which is about 7 deaths per minute.

“The statistics are shocking, but we must remember that these numbers are made up of individuals facing unimaginable suffering. Even one person is too much,” said Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America. .

According to the charity, there are currently 155 million people worldwide living in a food insecurity crisis or worse—about 20 million more than last year. About two-thirds of them face hunger because their country is in a military conflict.

As of mid-June, the number of people in the worst phase of the famine in Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen was 521,814, up from 84,500 last year and an increase of more than 500%. 2021 Food Crisis Report (PDF).

The organization identified countries such as Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Afghanistan and Venezuela as places where the existing food crisis has been exacerbated by the outbreak of the pandemic and its economic consequences.

Oxfam stated that the three main causes of severe hunger are COVID-19, climate crisis and conflict. Since the beginning of the pandemic, war has been the single largest driver of hunger, pushing nearly 100 million people in 23 embattled countries to more severe food shortages.

Maxman said: “The warring parties are not fighting the pandemic, but fighting each other, often causing the final blow to millions of people who have already suffered weather disasters and economic shocks.”

“Hunger continues to be used as a weapon of war, depriving civilians of food and water, and hindering humanitarian relief. When their markets are bombed and crops and livestock are destroyed, people cannot live safely or find food.”

The charity pointed out that during the pandemic, global military spending increased by US$51 billion-an amount that is at least six times the amount needed by the United Nations to eliminate hunger.

It urges governments to prevent conflicts from continuing to cause “catastrophic hunger,” and to ensure that relief agencies can work in conflict areas and help those in need. It also called on donor countries to “immediately and fully” fund the UN’s efforts to reduce hunger.

At the same time, the economic impact of global warming and pandemics has caused global food prices to rise by 40%, the highest level in more than 10 years. According to the report, this surge has greatly led to tens of millions of people falling into hunger.

Oxfam’s analysis was conducted before the Global Food Security Report to be released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on Monday.