• Five UN agencies have published the Sofi2025 report with the most up-to-date data on world hunger.
• In 2024, 673 million people were in a state of chronic malnutrition.
• Compared to the previous year, the figure marks an improvement, but a slight and uneven one.

During 2024, the number of people who suffered from hunger worldwide ranges from a minimum of 638 to a maximum of 720 million. The point estimate — that is, the most reliable figure — stands at 673 million people. This is an enormous number: 8.2 per cent of humanity, more than the combined populations of the European Union and Brazil. Yet it still represents 15 million fewer individuals than in 2023 and 22 million fewer than in 2022, years that had raised serious concerns about the stalling of the fight against hunger. The progress recorded in 2024, however, is not uniform: in Africa and Western Asia the situation remains highly critical. This is what emerges from the Sofi2025 report (The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2025), a joint effort by five United Nations agencies.

The goal of ending world hunger is still very far away

The Sofi2025 report is the most authoritative study on world hunger, produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Fao) together with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad), the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the World Food Programme (Wfp) and the World Health Organization (Who). The very UN member states that signed the 2030 Agenda also committed to ending world hunger by the close of the decade (it is the second Sustainable Development Goal). A target that, however, looks extremely distant.

Compared to 2015, the year in which the Sustainable Development Goals were announced, the number of people in a state of food insecurity has grown by as many as 683 million. This condition is classified as moderate for those who are forced to sacrifice the quality or quantity of their food at least once a year because they cannot afford it. Food insecurity is instead described as severe for those who are forced to go without food altogether. Between 2023 and 2024 there was a slight improvement, as the prevalence of the phenomenon fell from 28.4 to 28 per cent of the world's population. The total nonetheless remains extremely high: 2.3 billion people.

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Between 638 and 720 million people faced hunger in 2024.

Explore the interactive @FAO World Hunger Map to browse the latest global estimates of hunger and food insecurity in the world.

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Within these 2.3 billion, approximately 673 million individuals are in a state of chronic malnutrition — meaning they are unable to consume enough calories to lead an active and healthy life. At this rate, by 2030 there will still be as many as 512 million people in this condition, six out of ten of whom will be living in Africa.

Inflation and aid cuts put low-income countries in difficulty

In Africa, the road ahead still looks steep: 307 million people suffer from hunger, representing 20 per cent of the entire continent's population. When food insecurity is also counted, the figure reaches as high as 58.9 per cent of the population — a rate double the global average. In Western Asia, 39 million people are malnourished, accounting for 12.7 per cent of the population. These are the two geographical areas where the situation, rather than improving as would be desirable, is worsening compared to 2023. Conversely, in Southern Asia the prevalence of undernourishment fell from 7.9 per cent in 2022 to 6.7 per cent in 2024. In Latin America and the Caribbean it dropped from the record high of 6.1 per cent in 2020 to 5.1 per cent in 2024.

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Between 638 and 720 million people faced hunger in 2024.

⏩ Swipe to learn what are the policy solutions to help address the impacts of high food prices on global hunger.

#SOFI2025

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It has always been low-income countries that have borne the brunt of the surge in food prices triggered by the pandemic. In these nations, the median food inflation rate hit as high as 30 per cent in May 2023, against a global average (itself extremely high) of 13.6 per cent. It is precisely here that the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet has risen, climbing from 464 million in 2019 to 545 million in 2024. This runs counter to the global trend, which is instead improving, having fallen from 2.76 billion in 2019 to 2.6 billion in 2024.

To reverse course, substantial investment is needed — yet the exact opposite is happening. This is especially true since Donald Trump has all but dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid). The World Food Programme, which was one of its many beneficiaries, delivered food assistance to 124 million people last year. "This year, due to funding cuts of up to 40 per cent, tens of millions of people will lose the life-saving support provided by our agency," says Executive Director Cindy McCain.