Global Hunger Fell Overall in 2024, but Rose in Africa and Western Asia as Climate and Conflict Threaten Progress: UN Report

World hunger fell overall last year, but continued to rise in most of Africa and western Asia, according to a new report — The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) — published by five specialized UN agencies and released Monday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Roughly 8.2 percent of the world’s population — about 673 million people — suffered from hunger in 2024, a press release from FAO said. The number was down from 8.7 percent in 2022 and 8.5 percent in 2023.

“While it is encouraging to see a decrease in the global hunger rate, we must recognize that progress is uneven. SOFI 2025 serves as a critical reminder that we need to intensify efforts to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. To achieve this, we must work collaboratively and innovatively with governments, organizations, and communities to address the specific challenges faced by vulnerable populations, especially in regions where hunger remains persistent,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in the press release.

Between 638 and 720 million people faced hunger in 2024. Swipe to learn what are the policy solutions to help address the impacts of high food prices on global hunger. buff.ly/AQA3wsf #SOFI2025

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— Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (@fao.org) July 29, 2025 at 1:31 PM

The report indicates that from 638 to 720 million people faced hunger last year, representing a decrease of approximately 15 million from 2023 and 22 million from 2022.

The number of those who were undernourished in Asia fell to 6.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent two years earlier. The Caribbean and Latin America also saw improvements, with undernourishment decreasing to 5.1 percent of the population — 34 million people — in 2024, following a 2020 peak of 6.1 percent.

“Unfortunately, this positive trend contrasts sharply with the steady rise in hunger across Africa and western Asia, including in many countries affected by prolonged food crises. The proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 percent in 2024, affecting 307 million people, while in western Asia an estimated 12.7 percent of the population, or more than 39 million people, may have faced hunger in 2024,” FAO said.

At the same time, those experiencing constraints on adequate food access for part of the year — “moderate or severe food insecurity” — decreased to 28 percent in 2024, or 2.3 billion people, down from 28.4 percent in 2023.

“In recent years, the world has made good progress in reducing stunting and supporting exclusive breastfeeding, but there is still much to be done to relieve millions of people from the burdens of food insecurity and malnutrition,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In low-income countries, 544.7 million people—that’s 72% of the population—couldn’t afford a healthy diet in 2024. Food is a basic right, not a luxury. Learn more in the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report 👉 bit.ly/4mjX2nK #SOFI2025

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— WHO (@who.int) July 28, 2025 at 12:10 PM

It is estimated that 512 million people could experience chronic undernourishment by 2030, nearly 60 percent of whom will be in Africa. FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations agency for children (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said this highlights the enormous challenge of reaching the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger.

The report examined the consequences and causes of the food price surge of 2021 to 2023 and its effect on global food security and nutrition. Food price inflation — caused by a combination of the world’s policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine and extreme weather across the globe — has hindered recovery in nutrition and food security since 2020.

Low-income nations have been especially impacted by rising food prices.

“While median global food price inflation increased from 2.3 percent in December 2020 to 13.6 percent in early 2023, it climbed even higher in low-income countries, peaking at 30 percent in May 2023,” FAO said.

But even with rising food prices around the world, the number of those not able to afford to eat a healthy diet fell to 2.6 billion last year, down from 2.76 billion in 2019.

However, in low-income countries, the number of those who couldn’t afford a healthy diet rose to 545 last year, up from 464 million five years earlier. In lower-middle-income nations other than India, the number increased to 869 million from 791 million during the same period.

“In times of rising food prices and disrupted global value chains, we must step up our investments in rural and agricultural transformation. These investments are not only essential for ensuring food and nutrition security – they are also critical for global stability,” said IFAD President Alvaro Lario.

The report recommended a combination of food price inflation policy responses, including transparent and credible monetary policies aimed at containing inflationary pressures; time-bound and targeted fiscal measures like social protection programs to shield vulnerable households; and strategic investing in agrifood research and development, market information systems to boost resilience and productivity and transportation and production infrastructure.

“Every child deserves the chance to grow and thrive. Yet over 190 million children under the age of 5 are affected by undernutrition, which can have negative consequences for their physical and mental development. This robs them of the chance to live to their fullest potential,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We must work in collaboration with governments, the private sector and communities themselves to ensure that vulnerable families have access to food that is affordable and with adequate nutrition for children to develop. That includes strengthening social protection programs and teaching parents about locally produced nutritious food for children, including the importance of breastfeeding, which provides the best start to a baby’s life.”