About this Episode
Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025. Around 645 million people, or 7.8 percent of the world’s population, still suffer from hunger. This is down from 8.6 percent in 2022, but remains far above the United Nations’ Zero Hunger target.
The improvement was mainly driven by progress in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. In South America, cash transfers, school meals and other social programmes helped reduce hunger. Southern Asia’s decline was largely driven by India, partly reflecting updated national data.
Africa remains the worst-affected region, with more than 300 million people facing hunger. Wars in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sahel have displaced farmers, destroyed food production and disrupted markets and humanitarian aid. Droughts, floods and irregular rainfall have reduced harvests and livestock, while inflation and weak currencies have increased the cost of food, fuel and fertiliser. Falling humanitarian funding has also reduced food assistance and nutrition services.
The UN projects that between 510 million and 520 million people will still face hunger in 2030. Around 56 percent of them are expected to live in Africa. Although this would represent a slight improvement for the continent, Africa’s share of global hunger would continue to grow. Current projections show that the UN’s goal of ending hunger by 2030 will be missed.
