The number of starving people in the world has exceeded one billion.

Every sixth earthling is underfed. This follows from a report made public by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, Director-General Jacques Diouf.

The official pointed out that the situation owes to the economic crisis and high food prices.

The FAO Chief warned that unless urgent measures were taken, the number of those starving may have exceeded 9 billion the world over by the year 2050. The recent St. Petersburg international grain summit took up food security and urgent moves to be made amid the current world crisis.