Overall global hunger has slightly decreased from previous years, but still remains above pre-pandemic levels in part due to high food inflation, according to the United Nations' latest report on food security and nutrition.
About 8.2% of people around the world, or approximately 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024. This is a slight decrease from 8.5% in 2023. While the average rates of hunger decreased, some regions saw a steady rise.
Specifically, rates of hunger increased across Africa and western Asia where an estimated 20% and 12.7% of the respective populations faced hunger in 2024. The overall global improvement was driven by progress in southeastern and southern Asia as well as South America.
The report projects that 512 million people around the world could be chronically undernourished by 2030, with the majority of those residing in Africa.
This report focuses on chronic food insecurity, which results from structural causes rather than a short-term crisis. Instead, it captures those metrics in the Global Report on Food Crises, which found that about 295 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 53 countries and territories. Of those, about 2 million faced “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity, with over half of those individuals residing in the Gaza Strip.
Global health agencies like the World Health Organization have warned hunger and malnutrition in Gaza has reached alarming levels since Israel implemented a blockade in March of all goods entering Gaza, including food. While the blockade was partially lifted in May, aid agencies have said continued threats and logistical challenges have hindered food distribution.
The UN World Food Programme estimates that a half million people in Gaza face famine-like conditions, with a third of the population going days without food.
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Following growing global push-back, Israel said on Sunday it would pause military operations to allow for more food and additional humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
Rates of food insecurity globally have also steadily declined since the pandemic. In 2024, the rate of moderate or severe food insecurity dropped to 28%, from 28.4% in 2023. Food insecurity was highest in rural areas, at 32%.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations issues the annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. It’s produced with other UN agencies like the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
The report also monitors the affordability of a healthy diet. In 2024, 31.9% of the global population was unable to afford a healthy diet. This is a slight decrease from previous years, which reflects a global rise in income to offset higher food prices.
But food unaffordability has increased in Africa, while significantly dropping in Asia and slightly decreasing in other regions. Progress toward increasing access to healthy diets has also varied across country income groups, where it was slower for low-income countries, according to the report.
Lingering effects of the pandemic, war in Ukraine, extreme weather and other geopolitical shocks to the food markets continue to drive high food price inflation, according to the report. Specifically, agricultural and energy commodity prices are key factors in recent inflation. But rising labor costs, exchange rate fluctuations and other factors also contributed.
The report also noted the stark price differences between nutrient-dense foods and ultraprocessed foods. Fruits, vegetables and animal source foods are consistently more expensive than “starchy staples,” oils and fats.
To address high food prices, and therefore food security and hunger, the report recommends investing in resilient agrifood systems like research, infrastructure, storage, transportation and more.
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