Human consequences
Hundreds of thousands of rural people flock to Calcutta; malaria and cholera kill even more than hunger.
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FamineBengal famine
3MDeaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost
- Between 2.1 and 3 million deaths according to estimates.
In the middle of the Second World War, the end of Burmese rice imports after the Japanese invasion, a cyclone in 1942 and runaway inflation send prices soaring. The colonial authorities are slow to recognise the famine and organise relief.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
The October 1942 cyclone and a fungal rice disease sharply reduce harvests.
Economic consequences
The rural economy collapses: families sell land, livestock and tools to survive.
Political consequences
The famine becomes a symbol of the failure of British rule and fuels the independence movement. Amartya Sen later makes it a textbook case.
Further reading
Similar disasters
- Great Chinese FamineFamine · China1959 – 1961
- Ethiopian famineFamine · Ethiopia1983 – 1985
- Great Irish FamineFamine · Ireland (United Kingdom)1845 – 1852
- Yangtze and Huai River floodsFlood · China1931
In the rankings : The deadliest disasters in history No. 6
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