The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025
An estimated 8.2 per cent of the global population experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 per cent in 2023 and 8.7 per cent in 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. Moreover, progress was not consistent across the globe. This is reflected by this year’s The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) report published by five agencies of the United Nations towards the end of July.
Launched during the Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa/Ethiopia, SOFI 2025 indicates 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.
A worrying situation in most subregions of Africa and western Asia
While notable improvements are seen in southern Asia and Latin America, the report points to a steady rise in hunger across Africa and western Asia, including in many countries affected by prolonged food crises. Some key figures:
- Asia, the prevalence of undernourishment fell from 7.9 per cent in 2022 to 6.7 per cent, or 323 million people, in 2024
- Latin America and the Caribbean as a region saw the prevalence of undernourishment fall to 5.1 per cent, or 34 million people, in 2024, down from a peak of 6.1 per cent in 2020.
- the proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 per cent in 2024, affecting 307 million people;
- in western Asia an estimated 12.7 per cent of the population, or more than 39 million people, may have faced hunger in 2024.
- 512 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030. According to the report, almost 60 per cent of those will be in Africa.
A glance at the most vulnerable
While the report notes global improvement in stunting in children under five (2012: 26.4 %; 2024: 23.2 %), the prevalence of child overweight (5.3 % in 2012; 5.5 % in 2024) and in child wasting (7.4 % in 2012, 6.6 % in 2024) remains largely unchanged. In addition, new data show an increase in the global prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 (from 27.6 % in 2012 to 30.7 % 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.
Stemming food price inflation
Low income countries have been particularly hit by the 2021–2023 food price surge, the report further notes.While median global food price inflation increased from 2.3 per cent in December 2020 to 13.6 per cent in early 2023, it climbed even higher in low-income countries, peaking at 30 per cent in May 2023. 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. This food price inflation has hindered the post-pandemic recovery in food security and nutrition.
In low-income countries, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet increased from 464 million in 2019 to 545 million in 2024. In lower-middle-income countries (excluding India), the number rose from 791 million in 2019 to 869 million over the same period.
The report recommends a combination of policy responses to food price inflation, including targeted and time-bound fiscal measures, such as social protection programmes, to safeguard vulnerable households, credible and transparent monetary policies to contain inflationary pressures, strategic investments in agrifood R&D, transport and production infrastructure as well as market information systems to improve productivity and resilience.
(FAO/sri)
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