Global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, with improvements recorded across every continent, according to a new United Nations report released on Tuesday.
However, the UN warned that progress could be undermined by mounting threats from climate change, geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade.
The findings are contained in the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report, jointly prepared by five UN agencies.
According to the report, about 645 million people representing 7.8 per cent of the world’s population experienced hunger in 2025, down from 8.1 per cent in 2024 and 8.6 per cent in 2022.
The report attributed the improvement largely to gains recorded in Asia, particularly India, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.
It also noted that several African countries began reversing years of worsening food insecurity, although Africa remained the region with the highest number of undernourished people. An estimated 309 million people about one in every five Africans experienced hunger in 2025.
The UN projects that global hunger levels will continue to decline through 2030 if current progress is sustained.
Speaking in an interview, the Chief Economist of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Máximo Torero, described the latest figures as a significant milestone.
“The big difference from previous years is that this year the rate of hunger has declined in all continents, including Africa, although very, very slightly,” he said.
Torero said the trend offered reasons for optimism but cautioned that several emerging risks could slow or reverse recent gains.
Among the major concerns, he identified geopolitical tensions affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz a critical route for global energy supplies and agricultural inputs which have increased the cost of fuel, fertilisers and transportation, driving up food production costs worldwide.
He also warned that the possible emergence of a strong El Niño weather pattern could disrupt agricultural production in vulnerable regions, placing additional pressure on global food supplies.
“We hope the trend won’t change, but there are several risks affecting us right now,” Torero said.
