Global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, with 7.8% of the world’s population affected, down from 8.6% in 2022, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report estimates that around 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, nearly 43 million fewer than in 2022. However, progress remains uneven. While Asia and Latin America recorded continued improvements, Africa now has the highest number of hungry people globally, with approximately 309 million affected. Around 2.1 billion people also faced moderate or severe food insecurity during the year.
The report warns that ongoing conflict in the Middle East, climate-related events, and declining humanitarian funding could slow progress toward ending hunger by 2030. It also highlights slow improvements in maternal and child nutrition, alongside rising adult obesity and worsening anaemia among women.
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SOFI 2026 further notes that the average global cost of a healthy diet increased to PPP $4.28 per person per day in 2025, although the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet declined to 2.69 billion. The UN agencies call for stronger investments, resilient agrifood systems, and policies that improve access to nutritious, affordable food while supporting sustainable development.
IFAD President, Alvaro Lario said, “SOFI tells us that the cost of a healthy diet continues to rise and that nearly 2.7 billion people may still be unable to afford a healthy diet. Resilient value chains must be a central part of the answer. Our task now is to turn the evidence SOFI provides into investment – and to do so through partnership. Together, we can build the value chains, market systems and rural economies that make healthy food affordable for all.”
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WFP Acting Executive Director, Carl Skau said, “Behind every number in this report is a family counting the cost of food. Conflict and climate shocks push them further beyond their means. We must continue working with partner agencies, governments and communities to build food systems that hold up under shock, so families can afford nutritious diets, even in times of crisis. We now need sustained investment to match the scale of the challenge.”
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “While we welcome the clear progress we have made in reducing hunger, a healthy diet still remains unaffordable for one in three people globally. Obesity is rising and progress on maternal and child nutrition is stalling. But we know what works: policies that make healthy food the easy choice, promoting breastfeeding, front-of-pack labelling, taxing unhealthy products, and protecting children from harmful marketing. Healthy diets are not a luxury – they are the foundation of health and must be within everyone’s reach.”
