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United Nations

Global Hunger Rates Decline, but Progress Uneven

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

This year's The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report highlights that an estimated 8.2 percent of the global population, or about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022. However, progress was not consistent across the globe, as hunger continued to rise in most subregions of Africa and western Asia. The report also notes that the high food inflation of recent years has hindered the post-pandemic recovery in food security and nutrition.

Key Takeaways:

  • The global hunger rate declined from 8.7 percent in 2022 to 8.2 percent in 2024, representing a decrease of 15 million people from 2023 and 22 million from 2022.
  • The prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) in Asia fell from 7.9 percent in 2022 to 6.7 percent, or 323 million people, in 2024.
  • Latin America and the Caribbean as a region saw the PoU fall to 5.1 percent, or 34 million people, in 2024, down from a peak of 6.1 percent in 2020.
  • However, hunger continued to rise in most subregions of Africa and western Asia, with the proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassing 20 percent in 2024, affecting 307 million people.
  • It is projected that 512 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030, with almost 60 percent of those in Africa.
  • The global prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity decreased slightly from 28.4 percent in 2023 to 28.0 percent in 2024, accounting for 2.3 billion people.
  • From 2023 to 2024, the prevalence of stunting in children under five declined from 26.4 percent in 2012 to 23.2 percent in 2024, reflecting global progress.
  • However, the prevalence of child overweight and child wasting remained largely unchanged, while the percentage of infants under six months exclusively breastfed increased significantly.
  • New data show an increase in the global prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49, from 27.6 percent in 2012 to 30.7 percent in 2023.
  • Estimates for a new SDG indicator introduced in the report reveal that about one-third of children aged 6 to 23 months and two-thirds of women aged 15 to 49 years met minimum dietary diversity.

Statistics:

  • An estimated 673 million people experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022.
  • The prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) in Asia fell from 7.9 percent in 2022 to 6.7 percent in 2024, affecting 323 million people.
  • The proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 percent in 2024, affecting 307 million people.
  • The global prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity decreased slightly from 28.4 percent in 2023 to 28.0 percent in 2024, accounting for 2.3 billion people.
  • From 2019 to 2024, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell from 2.76 billion to 2.60 billion.

Sources:

  • The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
  • United Nations agency for children (UNICEF)
  • UN World Food Programme (WFP)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • World Food Programme News (http://wfp.org/news/)
  • FAO News (http://fao.org/news/)
  • IFAD News (http://ifad.org/news/)
  • UNICEF News (http://unicef.org/news/)
  • WFP News (http://wfp.org/news/)
  • WHO News (http://who.int/news/)

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