WESTERN countries aren't the only ones feeling the effects of inflation. African countries plagued by hunger are also suffering from the economic situation, with food costing up to 143% more, as in Sudan. In fact, the NGO World Vision has calculated that it would take two weeks for a Somalian to earn enough to buy a common basket of food items, compared to just 1.2 hours for an American.


Many consumers are worried about inflation, and not just in developed nations. In a report published, the World Vision NGO -- a partner of the UN's World Food Programme -- reports that prices have also risen by 33% in Angola, by 42% in Ethiopia and even by 143% in Sudan.

Inflation can partly be explained by the higher costs of imported products, but also by global warming, which leads to smaller harvests and therefore higher prices. Somalia, for example, has experienced the worst floods in 40 years.

These have wiped out the livestock that represent a source of income for families. Seven million Somalis are now suffering from hunger.

Globally, World Vision has estimated that inflation has caused a 25% increase in numbers of acutely hungry people since the beginning of the year.

To get a better idea of the situation, the NGO put together a basket of basic foodstuffs, including milk, eggs, rice, sugar, bananas, oil, chicken and corn cobs, to estimate the amount that individuals in different countries have to work in order to buy these items.

Prices were collected in 37 countries around the world, including the United States, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Somalia and the Solomon Islands, compared to gross national income per capita, and divided by the number of working days to calculate the daily wage.

In the end, a Somali has to work for two weeks to make enough to buy this basket of basic foods, while an American works for just one hour and twelve minutes to buy the same items.