State of Food and Nutrition in the World
The 2025 edition of the State of Food and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report reveals that hunger affected 720 million people worldwide in 2024. This represents about 8.2 per cent of the global population. Although this is a slight improvement from previous years, the overall progress remains uneven across regions. The report marks persistent food insecurity, especially in Africa and parts of Asia, and warns of the difficulties in achieving the UN’s zero-hunger goal by 2030.
Current Global Hunger Statistics
In 2024, 720 million people were chronically undernourished. This is a decline from 8.5 per cent in 2023 and 8.7 per cent in 2022. Despite the improvement, hunger levels remain above pre-pandemic figures and those of 2015, when the UN launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report estimates an increase of 96 million chronically hungry people since 2015.
Regional Distribution of Hunger
Asia has the largest number of undernourished people, with 323 million affected. Africa follows closely with 307 million people facing hunger. Latin America and the Caribbean have 34 million undernourished. While Southeast Asia, Southern Asia, and South America saw declines, many African regions experienced persistent or rising hunger. Over 20 per cent of Africa’s population faces chronic hunger.
Food Insecurity and Severity
Globally, 2.3 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure in 2024. Nearly half of these individuals live in Asia due to its large population. However, the prevalence of food insecurity is highest in Africa. This indicates that while Asia has more people affected in absolute terms, the intensity of food insecurity is more severe in Africa.
Projections for 2030 Hunger Levels
The SOFI report projects that by 2030, 512 million people will still be undernourished globally. This would be only a modest reduction from 577 million in 2015. Africa will account for 60 per cent of the global undernourished population by 2030, with 17.6 per cent of its people facing chronic hunger. In contrast, Asia and Latin America are expected to reduce undernourishment below 5 per cent.
Factors Influencing Food Security
The projections consider demographic trends, agricultural productivity, and macroeconomic factors. Despite improvements in some regions, challenges remain due to conflict, climate change, economic instability, and unequal food distribution. These factors hinder progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition.
Role of UN Agencies and SDG Targets
The SOFI report is a collaborative effort by five UN agencies – FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO. It monitors progress towards SDG 2, which aims to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. The report provides data and policy recommendations to improve food security and nutrition worldwide.
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