Global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, but progress remains fragile and uneven, with Africa continuing to bear the heaviest burden, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 report released on Tuesday. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly authored the report. It indicates that 7.8 percent of the global population faced hunger in 2025, down from 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.6 percent in 2022.
The figure represents 645 million people affected by hunger in 2025, marking a reduction of nearly 14 million people compared with 2024 and 43 million compared with 2022. The report further stated that 25.8 percent of the global population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, equivalent to around 2.1 billion people. The figure declined from 27.1 percent in 2024 and 28.7 percent in 2020, representing nearly 86 million fewer people affected compared with 2024 and 135 million fewer than in 2020.
The report also revealed significant geographic variations in food access. Africa recorded 309 million hungry people in 2025, compared with 292 million in Asia, according to the report. The proportion of Africa’s population facing hunger stood at 20.0 percent in 2025, down from 20.3 percent in 2024.
It added that 56.6 percent of Africa’s population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, compared with 20.3 percent in Asia and 22.9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean. Northern America and Europe recorded the lowest level of moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, with 8.7 percent of their combined population affected. The report stated that the global average cost of a healthy diet reached 4.28 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per person per day in 2025, up from 3.44 dollars in 2021.
In Africa, 66.6 percent of the population could not afford a healthy diet in 2025, according to the report. It added that post-farmgate activities, including processing, logistics, and wholesale, accounted for 70 to 75 percent of the total costs paid by consumers. The heads of the five UN agencies highlighted the need for sustained action, investment, and stronger policies to address persistent hunger and improve …
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