Global hunger levels declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, a positive sign that progress is possible in combating food insecurity, but the improvement remained fragile and uneven across regions, and far from the trajectory needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

According to the report 'The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026,' issued by five United Nations agencies, the proportion of people suffering from hunger fell to 7.8 percent of the world's population in 2025, compared to 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.6 percent in 2022.

This means that about 645 million people faced hunger last year, a decrease of 14 million from 2024 and 43 million from 2022.

But the global picture masks sharp regional disparities; Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean continued to record gradual improvement, while Africa now hosts the largest number of hungry people in the world, with about 309 million, compared to 292 million in Asia.

Although the hunger rate in Africa declined slightly to 20 percent, rapid population growth kept the total number of affected people at high levels.

The gap becomes more evident when looking at moderate or severe food insecurity; about 2.1 billion people, or 25.8 percent of the world's population, suffered from it in 2025, compared to 27.1 percent the previous year. However, more than half of Africa's population, or 56.6 percent, faced this crisis, compared to 20.3 percent in Asia and 22.9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Hindering progress

The report warned that conflict in the Middle East and rising energy and fertilizer prices could hinder progress in the coming years.

According to estimates, between 510 and 520 million people may still suffer from hunger in 2030, compared to a lower projection of 503 million in a pre-conflict scenario.

Extreme weather events, including the possible return of El Niño, could increase pressures on food production and prices. The problem is not limited to food availability but extends to its ability to provide healthy nutrition; the global minimum cost of a healthy diet rose to $4.28 per person per day in 2025, compared to $3.44 in 2021.

Although the number of people unable to afford this cost fell to 2.69 billion, approximately one in three people remains unable to access healthy food.

Two-thirds of Africa's population suffer

In Africa, 66.6 percent of the population could not afford the cost of a balanced diet, a rate more than double the levels recorded in Asia and Latin America.

The high cost is attributed to factors including weak infrastructure, high transport, storage, and processing costs; post-farm activities account for 70 to 75 percent of the price paid by consumers.

At the same time, progress in maternal and child nutrition remains slow. About 150 million children under five suffer from stunting, while only 30.8 percent of children aged 6 to 23 months receive the minimum dietary diversity.

Adult obesity continues to rise, while anemia rates among women worsen.

The report concludes that reducing hunger requires more than increasing food production; the world needs investments in irrigation, cold chains, transportation, and agricultural research, along with reforming subsidies, improving trade, and social protection. Progress has been made, but it remains vulnerable to reversal unless international commitments are translated into policies and financing capable of making healthy food available and affordable for all.