Food security improves, but not everywhere

Fewer people around the world are going hungry, but progress is uneven. Africa and Western Asia in particular are falling behind. At the same time, rising food prices continue to affect the affordability of a healthy diet — especially in countries that supply many of the raw materials used by Dutch food producers.

Africa and Western Asia in the danger zone

The UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report estimates that 673 million people faced hunger in 2024. That equals 8.2 percent of the global population, a slight drop compared to 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022. But regional differences remain significant.

In Africa, more than 20 percent of the population is now affected by hunger, which translates to 307 million people. In Western Asia, the figure stands at 12.7 percent, or over 39 million people. South Asia and Latin America, on the other hand, showed signs of improvement.

Food inflation hits low-income countries the hardest

According to the report, food inflation has slowed the recovery of food security since the pandemic. Globally, food inflation reached 13.6 percent in January 2023 — 5.1 percentage points above headline inflation. In low-income countries, the rate peaked at 30 percent in May 2023.

Despite the pressure on prices, the number of people worldwide unable to afford a healthy diet dropped from 2.76 billion in 2019 to 2.60 billion in 2024. Yet in low-income countries, the opposite occurred: the number rose from 464 million to 545 million over the same period.

Nutritional data highlights ongoing challenges

The share of children under five suffering from stunted growth fell to 23.2 percent globally. Meanwhile, the share of children who are underweight or overweight remained largely unchanged. Exclusive breastfeeding increased to 47.8 percent.

Among adults, global obesity rates rose from 12.1 percent to 15.8 percent. Anaemia among women of reproductive age also went up: from 27.6 percent in 2012 to 30.7 percent in 2023. Nutritional deficiencies continue to be a persistent issue.

Fao.org