UN agencies: Global undernourishment falls to 645 million in 2025, but Africa now has the largest number

Maximo Torrero, FAO chief economist, said the State of Food Security and Nutrition 2026 report estimates that 7.8% of the global population—about 645,000,000 people (range 608–696 million)—were undernourished in 2025, down from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022.

Torrero said the regional picture is uneven: Africa recorded roughly 309,000,000 undernourished people in 2025, surpassing Asia in absolute numbers. He attributed that shift partly to faster population growth in Africa (about 2.3% annual growth overall and ~2.4% in sub‑Saharan Africa) and to worsening prevalence in some countries driven by conflict, economic strain and short‑term shocks.

"The latest estimates indicate that 7.8 percent of the global population was undernourished in 2025, equivalent to 645,000,000 people," Torrero said, and he noted the report shows progress is fragile and uneven across regions.

The report also found 2,100,000,000 people (25.8% of the global population) experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, a decline of about 135 million since 2020 and roughly 86 million since 2024. Torrero highlighted persistent inequalities: about 30% of rural residents faced moderate or severe food insecurity versus 22% in urban areas, and 24% of women versus 23% of men were affected, though the gender gap narrowed from 2024 to 2025.

Affordability of a healthy diet remains a major challenge, the agencies reported. Approximately 2,700,000,000 people (32.7% of the world) could not afford a healthy diet in 2025; regional shares were roughly 67% in Africa, 29% in Asia, 26% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7% in North America, Europe and Oceania. Torrero said the global average cost of a healthy diet reached $4.28 (PPP) per person per day in 2025, about 25% higher than in 2021.

On nutrition outcomes, Torrero said the world is off track to meet the seven global nutrition targets for 2030. He cited mixed progress: wasting fell from 7.4% to 6.6% (target below 5%), exclusive breastfeeding rose from 37% to 47.4% (target 60%), while anemia among women increased from 27.6% to 30.7% (target 13.8%). He said dietary diversity remains low: only 30.8% of children aged 6–23 months met minimum dietary diversity.

Edith Lederer of the Associated Press asked why Africa now has the largest absolute number and what effect cuts in U.S. and other international aid (official development assistance) had on the figures. Torrero replied that Asia previously had the largest absolute number, and Africa’s lead reflects population growth and increased prevalence in parts of the region. He said ODA to Africa declined by about 24–26% in 2024–25 and that while the counterfactual would likely show better outcomes with more aid, quantifying the net effect will be difficult because impacts take time and countries are adapting and drawing on other funding sources.

Jean Martin Bauer, WFP director of food security and nutrition analysis, said one clear effect of lower ODA is weakened data systems and reduced capacity to collect on‑the‑ground data. "One of the impacts that's had on institutions like FAO and WFP has been the ability to collect data on the ground... data systems have been weakened," she said, and she urged donors and constituencies to safeguard monitoring systems so impacts can be detected and addressed.

The IFAD managing director for technical delivery (introduced earlier in the briefing) added that evidence on the consequences of lower ODA will emerge over time but emphasized private‑sector engagement as one avenue to help fill gaps: in IFAD investments, engaging the private sector has produced larger impacts, "actually four times bigger than without."

The briefing closed after a short question period; the agencies emphasized that the reported gains are fragile, that regional heterogeneity remains large, and that strengthening data collection and sustained financing will be important to track and accelerate progress toward nutrition and food‑security goals.