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Food supply

Global Hunger Rates Decline, but Inequality Remains Persistent

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Despite a decline in global hunger rates, an estimated 673 million people, or 8.2 percent of the global population, faced hunger in 2024, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) report. This represents a decrease of 15 million people from 2023 and 22 million from 2022. However, progress was uneven, with hunger continuing to rise in most subregions of Africa and western Asia.

Key Takeaways:

  • An estimated 673 million people, or 8.2 percent of the global population, faced hunger in 2024, a decrease from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022.
  • Hunger continued to rise in most subregions of Africa and western Asia, despite a decline in global hunger rates.
  • The proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 percent in 2024, affecting 307 million people.
  • The UN projects that 512 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030, with nearly 60 percent of them in Africa.
  • Kenya remains particularly vulnerable, with 38.6 percent of its population living below the poverty line, and stunting affecting 29 percent of children in rural areas and 20 percent in urban areas.
  • Climate variability and frequent droughts and floods exacerbate hunger and food insecurity in Kenya, with 80 percent of its land classified as arid or semi-arid.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) cautioned that funding cuts of up to 40 percent mean that tens of millions of people will lose vital lifeline food assistance.
  • UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell noted that over 190 million children under the age of five are affected by undernutrition, which can severely impact their physical and mental development.

Statistics:

  • 673 million people faced hunger in 2024, representing 8.2 percent of the global population.
  • Hunger decreased by 15 million people from 2023 and 22 million from 2022.
  • The proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 percent in 2024, affecting 307 million people.
  • The UN projects that 512 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030, with nearly 60 percent of them in Africa.
  • 38.6 percent of Kenya's population lives below the poverty line.
  • Stunting affects 29 percent of children in rural areas and 20 percent in urban areas of Kenya.
  • 80 percent of Kenya's land is classified as arid or semi-arid.

Sources:

  • State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) report
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • UNICEF
  • World Food Programme (WFP)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)

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