CHRONIC hunger is rising worldwide after years of decline, the United Nations reported yesterday.

Intensified conflicts, floods and droughts have helped contribute to 815 million people going chronically undernourished in 2016 — a 38 million rise on 2015.

But the biggest contributing factor was war, with 60 per cent of those not having enough to eat living in areas “experiencing man-made conflict.”

“This is a shame. This is an indictment of humanity,” said World Food Programme chief David Beasley.

The Saudi Arabian war on Yemen, which has involved widespread bombing of civilian infrastructure, has caused a humanitarian crisis and famine in the country.

Earlier this year Unicef estimated that “more than 460,000 children in Yemen face severe malnutrition, while 3.3 million children and pregnant or lactating women suffer from acute malnutrition.”

The UN said yesterday that some 20 million people face possible famine in Yemen, parts of South Sudan, north-east Nigeria and Somalia.

Last year’s “worrisome” jump follows years of steady decline in the number of people suffering from chronic hunger.

According to The State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World, global hunger numbers fell from 926 million in 2005 to 795 million in 2010.

The UN warned that this reverse means international goals on ending hunger by 2030 are further away than ever.

“This has set off alarm bells we cannot afford to ignore,” UN leaders said.