Huge gap between the rich and poor is the top concern among Africans and Latin Americans, while hunger, terrorism and unemployment continue to worry people around the world.

These are the findings of a global survey conducted by Gallup International.

The survey, called Voice of the People 2005, was conducted in 65 countries and involved interviews with 50,000 people across all sociodemographic groups.

Hunger was the most mentioned problem, while terrorism, unemployment, war and other humanitarian issues were ranked well below poverty.

The survey found that the gap between the rich and poor received most mention in Africa and Latin America, South African media reported on Sunday.

South Africa ranks better than most African countries, with 73 percent of those interviewed saying they had rarely or never experienced hunger in the past year.

But national newspaper Sunday Times cautioned that such a finding might have been different if the survey had been extended to rural areas "where there are alarming levels of unemployment and poverty."

Jobless rate remains as high as some 30 percent, though South Africa boasts the most efficient economy on the continent and the government has for years listed job creation as the top priority of the country.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2005)