Global Hunger Affects 645 Million, With Africa Bearing the Largest Burden
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that approximately 645 million people worldwide suffered from hunger in 2025, with nearly half of them located in Africa. This figure represents a slight improvement from the post-COVID economic crisis, which saw 688 million people affected in 2022, but has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. While Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean have shown progress in reducing hunger, with 4.8% of their populations affected (32 million people), Africa faces a critical situation. In Africa, 20% of the population experiences chronic calorie deficiency, totaling 309 million individuals. Asia accounts for 292 million hungry people. The FAO's "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World" (SOFI 2026) report highlights that the center of gravity for hunger has shifted from Asia to Africa. The international community set a Sustainable Development Goal in 2015 to eliminate hunger by 2030, but current projections suggest that between 510 and 520 million people will still be undernourished by that year, with over half of them in Africa. Although major famines of the scale seen in the 1980s are not occurring, and farmers and food systems have shown resilience despite global challenges like conflicts, climate change, and pandemics, the progress is deemed insufficient and uneven. FAO officials emphasize the need to accelerate advancements to meet the 2030 Agenda targets.
The FAO report underscores a persistent global challenge in food security, with a notable concentration of hunger in Africa. While the overall trend shows a marginal improvement from recent peaks, the data indicates a significant shortfall in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The shift of the hunger burden towards Africa suggests that regional economic, political, and environmental factors are increasingly critical determinants of food security. Future interventions must consider these localized dynamics and the resilience limits of food systems, acknowledging that while large-scale famines may be averted, chronic undernourishment remains a systemic issue requiring sustained and equitable global efforts. The analysis highlights the complex interplay of global crises and localized vulnerabilities, demanding adaptive strategies that go beyond broad-stroke solutions.
AI-generated to prompt reflection — not editorial opinion, not advice, not a statement of fact. How this works.