Global hunger falls again, but millions still struggle to eat well

An estimated 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, representing 7.8 per cent of the world's population.

Global hunger declined for the third year in a row during 2025, offering fresh signs that progress is possible even after years of overlapping crises. The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI 2026) report, released by five United Nations agencies, shows fewer people are going hungry, though the pace of improvement remains too slow to meet the goal of ending hunger by 2030. The report makes it clear that while some regions are moving forward, millions of people continue to face food shortages, rising diet costs and growing uncertainty caused by conflict, economic pressures and climate-related shocks.

An estimated 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, representing 7.8 per cent of the world's population. This marks a reduction of nearly 14 million people compared with 2024 and around 43 million fewer than in 2022. Asia and Latin America recorded steady improvements, helping drive the overall decline. Around 309 million people on the continent continue to face hunger, making it the region with the largest number of hungry people worldwide. More than half of Africa's population also experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, highlighting the deep inequalities that remain despite signs of global recovery.

Healthy food remains beyond the reach of billions

The report found that healthy diets are becoming more expensive, with the average global cost rising to 4.28 purchasing power parity dollars per person each day in 2025. Although the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell to 2.69 billion, nearly one in three people worldwide still cannot access nutritious food.

The affordability gap is particularly severe in Africa, where two-thirds of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. The report points to weaknesses across food supply chains, including processing, transport and storage, as major reasons nutritious foods remain expensive for consumers. It calls for investments in infrastructure, research, irrigation, cold storage and more efficient food systems to reduce costs and improve access.

Nutrition challenges continue despite gains

Progress in child and maternal nutrition remains slow across many parts of the world. Rates of child stunting and exclusive breastfeeding have improved in some regions, though the pace is not enough to reach international targets by 2030. Anaemia among women continues to worsen, while adult obesity has increased steadily over the past decade. Around 150 million children under the age of five remain affected by stunting, and only about 31 per cent of children aged six to 23 months receive a minimally diverse diet.

The report warns that improving nutrition requires more than increasing food supplies. Health services, education, social protection and access to affordable nutritious food must work together to deliver lasting improvements.

Conflict and climate risks threaten future progress

The UN agencies caution that recent conflicts in the Middle East, reductions in humanitarian funding and increasingly frequent extreme weather events could slow or even reverse recent gains. Current projections suggest that between 510 million and 520 million people may still face hunger by 2030 if existing pressures continue.

Leaders from FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO called for stronger political commitment, sustained investment and coordinated policies that make healthy diets affordable while building more resilient food systems capable of withstanding future crises.