According to a United Nations report, global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, with improvements recorded across all continents. However, mounting risks from climate-related shocks and disruptions to trade could jeopardise these future advances.
Approximately 645 million people—equivalent to 7.8% of the global population—faced hunger last year, a decrease from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, which is jointly produced by five U.N. agencies.
According to UN experts, global hunger is expected to continue declining through 2030.
Máximo Torero, chief economist at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Reuters in an interview,""The big difference to previous years is that this year the rate of hunger has declined in all continents, including Africa, although very, very slightly."
Trade and Climate Risks
One of the most pressing problems involves disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for energy supplies and agricultural inputs. This disruption is pushing up the costs of fuel, fertilizers, and transportation, thereby raising food production expenses across the globe.
A potentially strong El Nino weather pattern could add further pressure by disrupting agricultural production in vulnerable regions.
INDIA LEADS ASIA'S PROGRESS
A large share of Asia’s progress has occurred in India, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the global population.
There, hunger has dropped to below 10%, driven by a mix of targeted welfare programs and increased agricultural productivity.
India is the main force behind the reduction in the number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet among lower-middle-income countries (LMICs).
Hunger Reduction: The Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) in Southern Asia declined markedly from 13.9% in 2021 to 9.3% in 2025, indicating a return to levels lower than those recorded before the pandemic.
The overall count of undernourished people in Southern Asia declined from 278.3 million in 2021 to 194.7 million in 2025.
Food Insecurity: In Southern Asia, the share of people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity fell from a high of 43.0% in 2020 to 31.9% in 2025.
Child Stunting Progress: Southern Asia, together with the wider Asian region, is recognized as being on course to meet the 2030 global goal for lowering child stunting rates.
HEALTHY DIETS STILL OUT OF REACH
Despite progress against hunger, child malnutrition remains stubbornly high and anaemia among women is worsening, the report said, highlighting that adult obesity has also risen steadily.
Access to nutritious food remains a major challenge.
The report estimates that 2.69 billion people are unable to afford a nutritious diet, which it calculates would cost an average of $4.28 per day in purchasing-power-parity terms.
The affordability gap was particularly stark in Africa, where 66.1% of people could not afford a healthy diet, more than double the levels recorded in Asia (28.9%).
In 2025, the typical daily expense for a healthy diet in Asia amounted to 4.33 PPP dollars per person.
The FAO highlights post-harvest losses, fruit supply chains, rural–urban connectivity, logistics, cold chain infrastructure, and agricultural research and development as the main policy priorities for South Asian economies
