An estimated 8.2% of the global population or about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022, respectively.
However, the progress is not consistent across the globe, as hunger continues to rise in most subregions of Africa and western Asia, according to this year’s Report.
A statement published by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) indicated that the progress as regards hunger being experienced was not consistent.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) Report published on Monday by five Specialised Agencies of the United Nations stated that the proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20% in 2024, affecting 307 million people.
While in Western Asia, an estimated 12.7% of the population, or more than 39 million people, may have faced hunger in 2024.
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The Report also projected that 512 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030. Almost 60% of those would be in Africa.
This highlights the immense challenge of achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) with warnings from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations agency for Children (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Launched during the Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, SOFI 2025 indicated that between 638 and 720 million people faced hunger in 2024. Based on the point estimate of 673 million, this represents a decrease of 15 million people from 2023 and of 22 million from 2022.
While the decline is welcome, the latest estimates remain above pre-pandemic levels, with the high food inflation of recent years contributing to the slow recovery in food security.
The statement stated that “Notable improvements are seen in southern Asia and Latin America. The prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) in Asia fell from 7.9% in 2022 to 6.7%, or 323 million people, in 2024. Additionally, Latin America and the Caribbean as a region saw the PoU fall to 5.1%, or 34 million people, in 2024, down from a peak of 6.1% in 2020.
“Unfortunately, this positive trend contrasts sharply with the steady rise in hunger across Africa and western Asia, including in many countries affected by prolonged food crises.
From 2023 to 2024, the global prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity — an assessment registering the experience of constraints on access to adequate food during part of the year — decreased slightly, from 28.4 to 28.0% accounting for 2.3 billion people. This is 335 million more than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 683 million more than in 2015, when the Sustainable Development Agenda was adopted.
Speaking on the scenarios, QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO noted that, “While it is encouraging to see a decrease in the global hunger rate, we must recognise that progress is uneven.
“SOFI 2025 serves as a critical reminder that we need to intensify efforts to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. To achieve this, we must work collaboratively and innovatively with governments, organisations, and communities to address the specific challenges faced by vulnerable populations, especially in regions where hunger remains persistent.”
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Alvaro Lario, President, IFAD said, “In times of rising food prices and disrupted global value chains, we must step up our investments in rural and agricultural transformation. These investments are not only essential for ensuring food and nutrition security – they are also critical for global stability.”
Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, said, “Every child deserves the chance to grow and thrive. Yet over 190 million children under the age of 5 are affected by undernutrition, which can have negative consequences for their physical and mental development. This robs them of the chance to live to their fullest potential.
“The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report for 2025 underscores the need to act urgently for the world’s youngest and most vulnerable children, as rising food prices could deepen nutrition insecurity for millions of families.
“We must work in collaboration with governments, the private sector and communities themselves to ensure that vulnerable families have access to food that is affordable and with adequate nutrition for children to develop. That includes strengthening social protection programs and teaching parents about locally produced nutritious food for children, including the importance of breastfeeding, which provides the best start to a baby’s life.”
Similarly, Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director, said “Hunger remains at alarming levels, yet the funding needed to tackle it is falling. Last year, WFP reached 124 million people with lifesaving food assistance.
“This year, funding cuts of up to 40 percent mean that tens of millions of people will lose the vital lifeline we provide. While the small reduction in overall rates of food insecurity is welcome, the continued failure to provide critical aid to people in desperate need will soon wipe out these hard-won gains, sparking further instability in volatile regions of the world.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO said “In recent years, the World has made good progress in reducing stunting and supporting exclusive breastfeeding, but there is still much to be done to relieve millions of people from the burdens of food insecurity and malnutrition.
“The Report stated that among the indicators of child nutrition, the prevalence of stunting in children under five declined from 26.4% in 2012 to 23.2% in 2024, reflecting global progress;
“The prevalence of child overweight (5.3% in 2012 and 5.5 percent in 2024), and in child wasting (7.4% in 2012 and 6.6% in 2024) remains largely unchanged;
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“The percentage of infants under six months exclusively breastfed increased significantly, from 37.0% in 2012 to 47.8 percent in 2023, reflecting growing recognition of its health benefits;
“The prevalence of adult obesity rose from 12.1% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2022; New data showed an increase in the global prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49, from 27.6% in 2012 to 30.7 percent in 2023;
“Estimates for a new SDG indicator introduced in the report reveal that about one-third of children aged 6 to 23 months and two-thirds of women aged 15 to 49 years met minimum dietary diversity.
“SOFI 2025 also examines the causes and consequences of the 2021–2023 food price surge and its impact on food security and nutrition.
“The report highlights that the global policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic —characterised by extensive fiscal and monetary interventions — combined with the impacts of the war in Ukraine and extreme weather events, contributed to recent inflationary pressures.”
