UN report says global hunger fell in 2025 but remained above pre-pandemic levels
The Facts
- The UN’s 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report estimated that about 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, equal to 7.8% of the global population.
- The report said global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, down from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022.
- Despite the decline, hunger in 2025 remained higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Regional trends were uneven: Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean improved, while Africa remained the most affected region in absolute numbers.
- Africa had about 309 million undernourished people in 2025, surpassing Asia in absolute numbers for the first time, according to the report.
- The report said progress remains fragile and insufficient to achieve the UN goal of ending hunger by 2030.
- UN agencies and report coverage cited conflict, climate shocks, economic pressures and trade disruptions as major risks that could slow or reverse recent improvements.
Context
Which regions saw the biggest changes?
The report says Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean made progress, while Africa remained the region with the largest number of undernourished people. Africa also surpassed Asia in absolute numbers of hungry people, with about 309 million in Africa versus 292 million in Asia EL PAÍS,EL PAÍS,ANSA.it.
Why does the report say the situation is still serious if hunger is falling?
Because the decline has been gradual and uneven, and the total remains above pre-pandemic levels. The report and its coverage say current progress is not fast enough to meet the 2030 goal of ending hunger, especially with conflict, climate extremes and economic or trade disruptions still affecting food access Al Jazeera Online,vaticannews.va,InfoMoney.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- Three years of declining hunger mark real but fragile progress, with levels still above pre-COVID and too weak to put ending hunger by 2030 on track.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether the story is about hunger’s unequal concentration in Africa despite global gains, or about recent declines showing stability can still improve food security.
How left and right read it
A third straight year of decline matters, but 645 million people still faced hunger in 2025, and the world is still worse off than before the pandemic. What stands out is the imbalance: Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean improved, while Africa remained the most affected region, with about 309 million undernourished people, showing how fragile progress can leave the deepest need concentrated and the 2030 goal out of reach.
“The findings underscored widening regional disparities in the fight against hunger and nutrition, even as overall global food security shows modest improvement.” — The Guardian
The most policy-relevant fact here is that hunger has fallen for three straight years, from 8.6% in 2022 to 7.8% in 2025. That progress is real but still incomplete, with levels above pre-COVID and vulnerable to conflict, economic pressures, and trade disruptions—a reminder that durable food security depends on stability and resilience, not lofty targets alone.
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