Hunger is falling but is still higher than pre-COVID levels: UN report

The United Nations released its latest assessment of global food security, revealing a third consecutive year of improvement in hunger reduction. The 2025 figures show approximately 645 million people experienced hunger, representing 7.8 percent of the world's population. This marks progress from 2024 and 2022, yet the absolute numbers remain elevated compared to pre-COVID-19 baseline years.

Regional disparities remain stark. Africa bears the heaviest burden, with 309 million undernourished people—nearly one in five across the continent and representing almost half of all hungry people globally. Asia follows with 292 million affected (6 percent of population), while Latin America and the Caribbean account for 32 million (4.8 percent). Asia and Latin America have demonstrated steady progress, whereas Africa's hunger prevalence, though slightly declining from 20.3 to 20 percent year-on-year, continues rising in absolute terms due to population growth.

Affordability of nutritious food remains a critical barrier. Approximately 2.69 billion people globally cannot afford a healthy diet, down from 2.97 billion in 2021. However, the cost of a healthy diet has risen substantially to $4.28 daily in 2025, up from $3.44 in 2021. Africa and Asia face the most severe affordability challenges, with 1.03 billion Africans and 1.4 billion Asians unable to access nutritious food.

Looking forward, the UN projects the undernourished population will decline by roughly 20 percent by 2030. Nevertheless, 510–520 million people are anticipated to remain food-insecure by decade's end, with 56 percent concentrated in Africa. The report cautioned that geopolitical crises could undermine these projections, particularly affecting African and Asian regions.