UN warns of worsening hunger in western Asia and Africa despite global decline

Addis Ababa, August 4, 2025 (FMC) — Global hunger declined slightly in 2024, but a new United Nations report warns that the crisis is deepening in Africa and Western Asia, where millions more are falling into chronic undernourishment.

The report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (SOFI), was jointly launched by five UN agencies during the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa. It shows that 673 million people, or 8.2% of the global population, were affected by hunger in 2024—down from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022. This marks a decline of 15 million from the previous year and 22 million since 2022.

However, the global improvement conceals stark regional disparities. In Africa, more than 20% of the population—roughly 307 million people—suffered from hunger in 2024, with the number rising for the fourth consecutive year. Hunger in Western Asia reached 12.7%, affecting over 39 million people.

The report projects that up to 512 million people could remain chronically undernourished by 2030, nearly 60% of them in Africa—placing the global community far off track from achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger.

By contrast, Southern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean saw improvement. The share of undernourished people declined to 6.7% in Southern Asia (about 323 million people) and 5.1% in Latin America and the Caribbean (approximately 34 million), returning to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food price inflation remains a major challenge. Between 2021 and 2023, sharp increases in food prices—driven by climate shocks, supply chain disruptions, and conflict including the war in Ukraine—disproportionately impacted low-income countries. Food inflation peaked at 13.6% in January 2023, surpassing general inflation and undermining recovery.

Nutrition indicators show uneven progress. Stunting among children under five dropped from 26.4% in 2012 to 23.2% in 2024, and exclusive breastfeeding rose from 37% to 47.8%. However, rates of child wasting, adult obesity, and anaemia among women of reproductive age have either stagnated or worsened, reflecting persistent challenges in accessing healthy diets.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and leaders from FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, and WFP urged renewed efforts to transform food systems and tackle hunger at its roots. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for urgent investments in rural development, food affordability, and nutrition-sensitive strategies, warning, “We are far off track.”

The report concludes that without decisive and targeted action, particularly in regions grappling with conflict and climate stress, progress toward ending hunger by 2030 will remain elusive.