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Food supply

Global Hunger Levels Decline for Second Consecutive Year, Report Says

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Global hunger levels declined for the second consecutive year in 2024, with an estimated 15 million fewer people affected than in 2023, according to the latest United Nations report on food security. However, progress remains uneven, as hunger continues to rise in parts of Africa and Western Asia amid ongoing food crises and inflationary pressures. The report highlights that while the global decline was largely driven by progress in South-East Asia, Southern Asia, and South America, these gains are being offset by worsening hunger trends in most sub-regions of Africa and Western Asia.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 2025 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, released by five UN agencies, estimates that 8.2 percent of the global population - between 638 million and 720 million people - experienced hunger in 2024, representing a modest improvement from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022.
  • The overall decline in global hunger was largely driven by progress in South-East Asia, Southern Asia, and South America, while hunger continues to rise in most sub-regions of Africa and Western Asia.
  • persistently high food price inflation was cited as a major obstacle to achieving global food security and nutrition targets, with low-income communities hit hardest.
  • Approximately 2.60 billion people - or 31.9 percent of the global population - were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2024, marking an improvement from 33.5 percent in 2022, but the burden remains high, especially in economically vulnerable regions.
  • The disparity is particularly stark in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet rose significantly from 2019 to 2024.
  • The report warns that the international community remains far off track from achieving the 2030 goal of eradicating hunger, citing structural challenges such as conflict, climate change, inflation, and inequality as major impediments to progress.

Statistics:

  • Global hunger levels declined by 15 million people in 2024 compared to 2023.
  • 8.2 percent of the global population - between 638 million and 720 million people - experienced hunger in 2024.
  • The number of people unable to afford a healthy diet decreased from 33.5 percent in 2022 to 31.9 percent in 2024, but the burden remains high.
  • 2.60 billion people - or 31.9 percent of the global population - were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2024.
  • In low-income nations, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet rose from 464 million in 2019 to 545 million in 2024.
  • In lower-middle-income countries (excluding India), the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet increased from 791 million to 869 million over the same period.

Sources:

  • Xinhua News Agency
  • United Nations (UN) report on food security
  • The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report (2025 edition)

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