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CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -
Tens of millions of people go hungry in Latin America and the Caribbean as the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates a regional malnutrition crisis to its worst levels in decades, according to the United Nations.
In just one year - from 2019 to 2020 - the number of people living with hunger in the region increased by 30%, that is, 13.8 million people, according to a new United Nations report on the Regional Security Outlook Food and Nutrition.
While the coronavirus poses its own health threat, the economic fallout from the pandemic has also meant empty cupboards.
Closing months and travel restrictions have hit informal jobs especially hard, in a region where missing work one day can mean having little to eat the next.
Women go hungrier than men across the region, according to the UN, as food insecurity disproportionately affects the most vulnerable people in society.
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In 2020, approximately 42% of women were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 32% of men.
This disparity has steadily increased in recent years, according to the report, increasing from 6.4% to 9.6% in the first year of the pandemic.
Julio Berdegué, regional representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), described the general situation as "critical", adding that the pandemic has dramatically intensified existing food insecurity.
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The UN report estimates that 59.7 million people in the region are now hungry, the highest level since 2000.
Those most affected by hunger
At the regional level, Central American countries are the most affected.
In Guatemala, about half of the population suffers from food insecurity.
And in El Salvador and Honduras, the numbers are almost as stark, with about 47% and 46% of their population going hungry, respectively.
These three countries, collectively known as the Northern Triangle, are the starting points for migrant caravans heading to the southern border of the United States in search of a better life.
In South America, Argentina experienced the most drastic increase in food insecurity in recent years, according to the report, with more than a third of the population having limited access to food, the result of a prolonged economic depression that brought back the specter of hyperinflation.
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Meanwhile, another form of malnutrition plagues the region: obesity.
According to the report, about 106 million people, or one in four adults, are overweight, and childhood obesity continues to rise.
"With services disrupted and livelihoods devastated, families find it more difficult to put healthy food on the table, leaving many children hungry and others overweight," said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and Caribbean.
"For children to grow up healthy, we have to ensure that all families have access to affordable and nutritious food."
Latin America Caribbean Poverty