Global Hunger Declines 2024 While Africa, Western Asia Rise

The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report reveals a slight global decline in hunger, with around 8.2 percent of the population (approximately 673 million people) affected in 2024, down from previous years. Significant progress was noted in southern Asia and Latin America, where undernourishment rates decreased, but hunger continued to rise in Africa and western Asia, with Africa's hunger affecting over 20 percent of its population. Projections indicate that by 2030, 512 million people will remain chronically undernourished, with nearly 60 percent in Africa, underscoring the immense challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. The report highlights food inflation, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts such as in the Gaza Strip and North Darfur, and climate change as key drivers undermining food security. Vulnerable groups, including women and rural communities, face disproportionate impacts, and acute food crises with famine conditions persist in several African regions. Global leaders stress the urgent need for coordinated, sustainable policy responses to address rising food prices and improve access to healthy diets worldwide.