The flagship global report on hunger, food security, and nutrition jointly produced by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO.
Global Hunger & Food Security Trends
- An estimated 673 million people (about 8.2% of the world population) faced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022, reflecting a modest global improvement. UNICEF DATA+1
Food insecurity remains high:
- About 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024, a figure significantly above pre-pandemic levels. UNICEF DATA
Persistent regional disparities:
- Hunger decreased in South-eastern Asia, Southern Asia and Latin America, driven in part by improved data and policies.
- Hunger continued to rise in Africa and Western Asia, with Africa’s undernourishment rate exceeding 20% in 2024. SDG Knowledge Hub
🥗 Affordability & Diet Quality
Food price inflation impact:
- The 2025 report’s thematic focus was how high food price inflation has reduced access to healthy diets, especially in low-income countries. World Health Organization
Healthy diet affordability:
- Approximately 2.6 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2024. UNICEF DATA
Diet quality concerns:
- Only ~34% of children aged 6–23 months met minimum dietary diversity standards.
- About 65% of women aged 15–49 met the minimum dietary diversity threshold. Knowledge for policy
👶 Nutrition Outcomes
Child nutrition:
- Stunting among children under five decreased over time (from higher historical levels to around 23.2% in 2024).
- Wasting and overweight rates remained largely unchanged.
- Anaemia among women of reproductive age increased over the past decade. UNICEF DATA
🛠️ Drivers & Policy Implications
Main drivers affecting progress:
- Persistent food price inflation that outpaced general inflation, economic shocks, conflict and climate extremes have slowed progress on food security and nutrition. World Health Organization
Policy recommendations:
The report emphasizes the need for coordinated action to:
- Protect access to nutritious food for vulnerable groups.
- Strengthen social protection systems.
- Invest in resilient food systems and infrastructure.
- Improve policy coordination and transparency. World Health Organization
📌 Overall Takeaways
✔ Some progress in reducing global hunger. UNICEF DATA
✔ Persistent high levels of food insecurity compared to pre-pandemic years. UNICEF DATA
✔ Severe regional inequalities — particularly worsening conditions in Africa and Western Asia. SDG Knowledge Hub
✔ Rising food prices have worsened diet affordability and nutrition outcomes. World Health Organization
✔ Stronger policy responses are needed to stay on track with SDG 2: Zero Hunger by 2030. World Health Organization