WASHINGTON, D.C. — With some of the world’s wealthiest countries among their ranks, Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states may seem like unlikely places for many residents to report problems affording food. But rising numbers of residents in OECD countries — particularly those with children younger than 15 living in their households — have found themselves increasingly struggling to buy food since the global economic downturn.

Residents in OECD Countries Report Struggling to Afford Food

The increase in individuals reporting difficulty buying food in the OECD — which consists of countries mostly concentrated in Western Europe and North America — stands in contrast to other regions such as Asia and the former Soviet Union, where percentages declined or remained stable between 2007 and 2013. The Middle East and North Africa, plagued by recent unrest, saw the highest increase in the percentage of people with children struggling to buy food.

Member countries of the OECD include rich, industrialized nations that should theoretically have the resources to combat the problem of food affordability. To some extent, these countries are generally successful in fighting this scourge. OECD countries generally report the lowest percentages of individuals struggling to buy food in the past 12 […]