Global hunger declines for third consecutive year, Africa remains most affected: UN report
via The Reporter Ethiopia8 min read
A 2026 report, "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World," indicates that global hunger decreased for the third year in a row in 2025, though progress is uneven. The report, co-authored by the FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, found that 7.8 percent of the global population, or 645 million people, experienced hunger in 2025, a reduction from 8.1 percent in 2024. Despite this, Africa continues to bear the highest burden, with 309 million hungry people in 2025, representing 20.0 percent of its population. Globally, 25.8 percent of the population, or 2.1 billion people, faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025. The report also highlights that 66.6 percent of Africa's population could not afford a healthy diet in 2025, with the global average cost of a healthy diet reaching 4.28 purchasing power parity dollars per person per day. UN agency heads emphasized the need for sustained action, investment, and stronger policies to address hunger and improve access to affordable, nutritious diets. They noted that conflicts and climate-related shocks continue to increase food costs and limit access to nutritious diets. Projections suggest that 510 million to 520 million people could face hunger in 2030 due to the conflict in the Middle East, which has led to higher energy and fertilizer prices and a lowered global growth forecast by the IMF.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Reporter Ethiopia.
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