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Where are the undernourished?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 69% of the population is undernourished
  • But India has the most undernourished: 237.7 million people, or 21% of its population
  • Most of the struggling countries are from sub-Saharan Africa as well as Asia and the Pacific

Editor's Note: Each Friday, CNN will examine statistics or world rankings to show how countries compare with one another. Who's the best? Who's the worst? And where does the United States fit in? You'll find those answers in our Country Comparisons series.

(CNN) -- About 13% of the world's population is undernourished, according to the most recent statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

That's at least 847.5 million people, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa or Asia and the Pacific.

The FAO defines undernourishment as "the condition of people whose dietary energy consumption is continuously below a minimum dietary energy requirement for maintaining a healthy life and carrying out a light physical activity with an acceptable minimum body weight for attained height."

The most undernourished nation on the list, at least by percentage, is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nearly 42 million people there, or 69% of the population, are undernourished. Two other African nations, Eritrea and Burundi, are also over 60%. Haiti ranks fourth with 57%.

Somalia, which is dealing with a devastating famine right now, is not on the list. Because of political turmoil within the country, the FAO has not been able to gather dependable statistics for the country.

The United States isn't on the list, either. That's because, like many developed nations, its undernourished rate is under 5%.

India has more undernourished people than any other country by far -- 237.7 million, or 21% of its population. China is No. 2 with 130.4 million, or 10% of its population.

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