Global Hunger Trends
The number of people experiencing hunger worldwide has decreased, with an estimated 645 million individuals facing hunger in 2025. This represents a decline of 14 million from 2024 and 43 million from 2022, according to the United Nations State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report.
Regional Disparities
Africa remains the global hotspot for hunger, with approximately 309 million people, or one in five individuals on the continent, experiencing undernourishment in 2025. In contrast, Asia had 292 million people (6% of the population) and Latin America and the Caribbean had 32 million people (4.8% of the population) facing undernourishment.
Progress and Projections
Despite the decline in hunger levels, hundreds of millions of people continue to face acute food shortages driven by conflict, economic shocks, and climate extremes. The UN projects that the global number of undernourished people will decrease by about 20% by 2030. However, an estimated 510-520 million people are expected to face hunger by the end of the decade, with 56% of them living in Africa.
Affordability of Healthy Diets
The number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell from 2.97 billion in 2021 to 2.69 billion in 2025. However, the cost of eating healthily continues to rise, with the global cost of a healthy diet reaching $4.28 per day in 2025.
Catastrophic Hunger
Approximately 1.4 million people worldwide are facing catastrophic hunger, with Gaza having the largest number of people in this category, at around 640,700 individuals. Other countries with significant numbers of people experiencing catastrophic hunger include Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Haiti, and Mali.
Conclusion
While progress has been made in reducing hunger levels, the persistence of food insecurity and catastrophic hunger in various regions underscores the need for continued efforts to address the root causes of hunger and ensure access to nutritious food for all.