Global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, but an estimated 645 million people still faced hunger, highlighting that progress toward ending hunger remains fragile and uneven across regions, according to a new United Nations report.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and four other UN agencies, estimates that 7.8 percent of the world’s population experienced hunger in 2025.
That is down from 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.6 percent in 2022, representing about 14 million fewer hungry people than the previous year and 43 million fewer than in 2022.
Despite the improvement, the report warns that current progress is too slow to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030.
“The improvements remain fragile, unevenly distributed and insufficient,” the report says, noting that persistent inequalities, climate shocks, conflicts and economic disruptions continue to threaten global food security.
The gains were driven largely by continued progress in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, where several countries recorded declining hunger rates through stronger social protection programmes, improved agricultural productivity and economic recovery. However, the picture in Africa remains deeply concerning.
For the first time, Africa has overtaken Asia as the region with the largest number of hungry people. About 309 million Africans experienced hunger in 2025 compared with 292 million people in Asia.
Although the share of Africa’s population facing hunger declined slightly from 20.3 percent in 2024 to 20 percent in 2025, rapid population growth has increased the absolute number of undernourished people on the continent.
The report also highlights that access to healthy diets remains out of reach for billions. An estimated 2.69 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2025, with Africa remaining the worst-affected region.
More than two-thirds of Africans could not afford nutritious food because of high food prices, weak infrastructure, trade barriers and low household incomes.
Beyond hunger, the report points to a mixed nutrition picture. While some indicators of undernutrition have improved, challenges such as child malnutrition, anaemia among women and rising adult obesity continue to undermine global health.
The findings underscore the need for food systems that not only provide enough calories but also ensure access to diverse and nutritious diets.
The UN agencies warn that climate change, geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade routes could quickly reverse recent gains. They call for greater investment in resilient food systems, agricultural research, rural infrastructure and targeted social protection programmes to safeguard progress.
The report concludes that while the decline in global hunger demonstrates that progress is possible, far stronger and more coordinated action will be required to meet the world’s 2030 hunger and nutrition targets.
Without accelerated efforts, hundreds of millions of people will continue to face hunger and millions more will remain unable to afford healthy diets.
