faostat_cleaned.xlsx

The escalating global hunger crisis, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts, economic shocks, and climate crises, demands comprehensive and effective solutions. Since limited research has explored the interplay between income inequality, gender inequality, and economic growth in relation to a country’s food insecurity prevalence, this study seeks to bridge this knowledge gap. Using country-level data from 113 countries in both pre- and post-pandemic periods and employing the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) model, this study provides empirical evidence, highlighting the significant roles of gender inequality and income inequality in addressing food insecurity. The study found that both gender inequality and income inequality correlate positively with food insecurity. Intriguingly, our results indicate that economic growth can exacerbate food insecurity, particularly in the post-pandemic context. This suggests that mere economic growth is insufficient to combat food insecurity if gender and economic inequalities persist.