Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, with improvements recorded across every continent, although growing risks from climate shocks and disruptions to trade could threaten further progress, according to a United Nations report.
An estimated 645 million people, or 7.8% of the world's population, experienced hunger last year, down from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, jointly produced by five UN agencies.
Much of the progress was driven by gains in Asia, particularly India, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean. Several African countries also began reversing years of deterioration, although Africa remained the region with the largest undernourished population in 2025, with 309 million people affected, equivalent to roughly one in five inhabitants.
UN experts project that global hunger will continue to decline through 2030.
"The big difference compared to previous years is that this year the rate of hunger has fallen on every continent, including Africa, although very, very slightly," Maximo Torero, chief economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Reuters.
Torero said the trend offered grounds for optimism but warned that geopolitical tensions and weather-related disruptions posed significant threats to global food systems. Among the most immediate concerns are disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for energy supplies and agricultural inputs.
Such disruptions raise the cost of fuel, fertilisers and transport, increasing food production costs worldwide. A potentially strong El Niño weather pattern could place further pressure on food systems by disrupting agricultural output in vulnerable regions.
"We hope the trend will not change, but there are several risks affecting us at this moment," Torero said.
A significant share of Asia's improvement was attributed to India, home to nearly one-fifth of the global population, where hunger rates have fallen below 10%, supported by targeted social welfare programmes and rising agricultural productivity.
Elsewhere, a number of African countries, including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Zambia, have also shown signs of progress, while the Dominican Republic is no longer classified among global hunger hotspots.
Torero said the war in Gaza had not materially altered global hunger figures because the report measures chronic, long-term undernourishment rather than acute food insecurity caused by conflict or disasters.
Food deliveries to Gaza have recently increased, helping to stabilise conditions, but rebuilding the territory's devastated agricultural sector will take years, he added.
Healthy diet still out of reach
Despite progress in reducing hunger, child malnutrition remains persistently high and anaemia among women is worsening, the report said. Adult obesity has also continued to rise steadily, underscoring broader nutrition challenges.
Access to nutritious food remains a major obstacle. The report estimates that 2.69 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, which it calculated would cost an average of $4.28 per day based on purchasing power parity.
The affordability gap was particularly severe in Africa, where 66.1% of people were unable to afford a healthy diet, more than double the levels recorded in Asia and Latin America.
Torero said Africa faces unique challenges because weak infrastructure, limited cold-storage facilities and inadequate transport networks increase the cost of highly perishable foods such as fruit, vegetables, milk and meat.
The continent is also hindered by fragmented regulations and non-tariff barriers that restrict food trade between neighbouring countries, he added.
Source: Reuters/CNA
