Global Hunger Declines Slightly, But Food Insecurity Deepens in Africa and Western Asia: UN Report

An estimated 673 million people, or 8.2 percent of the world’s population, experienced hunger in 2024, a slight decline from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022, according to the newly released State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2025 report.

Launched during the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake in Addis Ababa, the report was produced by five UN agencies including the FAO, WFP, UNICEF, WHO, and IFAD. It highlights marginal global progress in combating hunger, but warns that food insecurity continues to rise in Africa and western Asia, largely due to ongoing conflict and prolonged crises.

Based on the report’s midpoint estimate, global hunger in 2024 affected 15 million fewer people than in 2023 and 22 million fewer than in 2022. Still, these figures remain above pre-pandemic levels and far from meeting the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030.

Progress Uneven Across Regions

Southern Asia and Latin America recorded the most progress. In Asia, undernourishment fell to 6.7 percent, affecting 323 million people, while Latin America and the Caribbean saw rates decline to 5.1 percent, or 34 million people.

However, hunger rose sharply in Africa, where the rate surpassed 20 percent, impacting 307 million people. In western Asia, 12.7 percent of the population, more than 39 million people, faced hunger in 2024.

Globally, about 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024, accounting for 28 percent of the population. That is 335 million more than in 2019 and 683 million above 2015 levels.

Mixed Results in Nutrition

The report also presents a mixed picture on global nutrition. Child stunting declined from 26.4 percent in 2012 to 23.2 percent in 2024. Rates of child wasting fell slightly, and overweight remained largely unchanged at 5.5 percent.

Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months increased from 37 percent in 2012 to 47.8 percent in 2023. Yet adult obesity rose from 12.1 percent to 15.8 percent, and anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 increased from 27.6 percent to 30.7 percent.

Dietary diversity remains a concern, with only one-third of children aged 6 to 23 months and two-thirds of women meeting minimum dietary diversity requirements.

Food Inflation Hits the Poorest Hardest

The report attributes recent food price surges to pandemic-driven fiscal stimulus, the war in Ukraine, and extreme weather events. Global food price inflation peaked at 13.6 percent in January 2023, outpacing general inflation, and reached 30 percent in low-income countries by May 2023.

While the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell globally from 2.76 billion in 2019 to 2.6 billion in 2024, access worsened in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In low-income nations alone, the number rose from 464 million to 545 million.

Urgent Policy Measures Needed

The report calls for targeted fiscal measures, transparent monetary policies, and investments in agriculture, infrastructure, and food systems to boost resilience and affordability.

“We are still far from our goal of ending hunger,” the agencies warned. “Unless we act fast, the SDG 2 target is likely to be missed.”