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733 million people suffer from hunger: UN report warns of worsening nutrition crisis
Recent estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, World Food Programme, and World Health Organization in the “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025” report indicate that the world is still far from achieving the goal of eradicating hunger by 2030.
The data revealed that approximately 733 million people experienced hunger in 2024, equivalent to one in every 11 people globally, and one in every five in Africa, amid a continuous rise in food prices that places significant pressure on food security, especially in low-income countries.
The report noted that global hunger levels have remained high for the third consecutive year, showing a slight decrease compared to 2023 but still much higher than pre-pandemic levels. Since 2019, the number of hungry people has increased by about 152 million. While some regions, such as Latin America and Asia, have seen limited progress, Africa continues to experience ongoing deterioration in hunger rates, with 20.2% of the population suffering from malnutrition.
The data also indicated that moderate or severe food insecurity affected around 2.3 billion people, or 28% of the global population, with a persistent gender gap where hunger affects women more significantly and is more widespread in rural areas compared to urban ones.
The report warned that rising food prices have played a key role in exacerbating the situation, with global prices reaching a sharp peak in January 2023, compounded by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change, leading to increasing costs of agricultural inputs and energy and rising prices for consumers. The most severe impacts were felt in low-income countries and Africa, where food price inflation surpassed 30% at its peak, eroding purchasing power and increasing hunger rates.
The report confirmed that the average cost of a healthy diet reached $4.46 per person per day in 2024, up from $4.30 in 2023, leaving around 2.6 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet, particularly in low-income countries and Africa.
In terms of nutritional outcomes, the document indicated that the stunting rate among children under five declined from 26.4% in 2012 to 23.2% in 2024, although rates of wasting and overweight have not improved. Anemia among women (ages 15-49) rose from 27.6% in 2012 to 30.7% in 2023, while obesity rates among adults increased. Only one-third of children aged 6 months to 23 months reached the minimum dietary diversity, while two-thirds of women achieved this threshold.
The report highlighted that rising food prices have led families to resort to lower-quality foods, increasing the risk of malnutrition. It urged governments to strengthen social protection programs and financial policies to support the most vulnerable groups, stressing that some temporary measures have not covered all those in need, and certain price support policies may adversely affect markets and long-term financial sustainability.
In conclusion, the report emphasized that the world stands at a critical crossroads, and returning to the right path to eradicate hunger by 2030 requires strong political commitment and billions of dollars in investments, warning that hundreds of millions will continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition, hindering human and economic development, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
