Prevalence of undernourishment (left axis) Number of undernourished (right axis), 2005-2023. After rising sharply from 2019 to 2021, the proportion of the world population facing hunger persisted at virtually the same level for three consecutive years, with the latest estimates indicating a global PoU of 9.1 percent in 2023. In terms of population, between about 713 and 757 million people (8.9 and 9.4 percent of the global population, respectively) were estimated to be undernourished in 2023. Considering the mid-range estimate (733 million), about 152 million more people may have faced hunger in 2023 compared to 2019. Graphic: FAO
Prevalence of undernourishment (left axis) Number of undernourished (right axis), 2005-2023. After rising sharply from 2019 to 2021, the proportion of the world population facing hunger persisted at virtually the same level for three consecutive years, with the latest estimates indicating a global PoU of 9.1 percent in 2023. In terms of population, between about 713 and 757 million people (8.9 and 9.4 percent of the global population, respectively) were estimated to be undernourished in 2023. Considering the mid-range estimate (733 million), about 152 million more people may have faced hunger in 2023 compared to 2019. Graphic: FAO

30 September 2024 (World Bank) – Domestic food price inflation remains high in many low- and middle-income countries. Inflation higher than 5 percent is experienced in 77.3 percent of low-income countries (18.2 percentage points higher since the last Update on June 27, 2024), 54.3 percent of lower-middle-income countries (8.7 percentage points lower), 44% of upper-middle-income countries (8.0 percentage points higher), and 10.7% of high-income countries (0.2 percentage points lower). In real terms, food price inflation exceeded overall inflation in 55.6 percent of the 167 countries where data is available.

Since the last update on June 27, 2024, the agricultural and export price indices closed 1 and 2 percent higher, respectively; the cereal index was unchanged. Maize and rice prices closed 3 percent and 4 percent lower, respectively, and wheat closed 8 percent higher. On a year-on-year basis, maize prices are 17 percent lower, wheat prices 4 percent lower, and rice prices 3 percent lower. Maize prices are 7 percent higher than in January 2020, wheat prices 3 percent higher, and rice prices 41 percent higher (See “pink sheet” data for agricultural commodity and food commodity prices indices, updated monthly.)

The Global Report on Food Crises 2024 Mid-Year Update highlights alarming trends in acute food insecurity and malnutrition, following high levels in 2023. The number of people projected to be in Catastrophe (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 5) has surged, increasing from 705,000 in 2023 to 1.9 million in 2024.

The State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World 2024 report reveals significant challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2—Zero Hunger. Despite some progress in some regions, global undernourishment remains alarmingly persistent, with an estimated 713 million to 757 million people affected in 2023.

With the end of the year approaching, 2024 is likely to be one of the warmest years on record, the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) Market Monitor for September 2024 highlights significant impacts on global commodity markets. Recent weather patterns have had mixed effects on agricultural production forecasts: maize output is projected to decrease because of heat affecting the European Union, Mexico, and Ukraine, whereas soybean production is expected to rise thanks to favorable conditions in the United States.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, trade-related policies imposed by countries have surged. The global food crisis has been partially made worse by the growing number of food and fertilizer trade restrictions put in place by countries with a goal of increasing domestic supply and reducing prices. As of September 2024, 16 countries have implemented 22 food export bans, and 8 have implemented 15 export-limiting measures. [more]

World Bank Response to Rising Food Insecurity

Prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) by world region, 2015-2023. While there was no change in the prevalence of hunger at the global level, the trends across and within regions varied. The PoU for Africa increased continuously from 2015 to 2023, whereas hunger has been on the decline in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2021 and remained relatively unchanged in Asia in the same period. Graphic: FAO
Prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) by world region, 2015-2023. While there was no change in the prevalence of hunger at the global level, the trends across and within regions varied. The PoU for Africa increased continuously from 2015 to 2023, whereas hunger has been on the decline in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2021 and remained relatively unchanged in Asia in the same period. Graphic: FAO

Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report

24 July 2024 (FAO) – Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today by five United Nations specialized agencies.

The annual report, launched this year in the context of the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is falling significantly short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, by 2030. The report shows that the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009.

Despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years, with between 713 and 757 million people undernourished in 2023—approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).

Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 percent), remains stable in Asia (8.1 percent)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide —and shows progress in Latin America (6.2 percent). From 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.

If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa, warn the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This projection closely resembles the levels seen in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, marking a concerning stagnation in progress.

Key findings beyond hunger

The report highlights that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions. In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those, over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times. This number has remained stubbornly high since 2020 and while Latin America shows improvement, broader challenges persist, especially in Africa where 58 percent of the population is moderately or severely food insecure.

The lack of economic access to healthy diets also remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the global population. With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 percent in high-income countries. Notably, the number dropped below pre-pandemic levels in Asia and in Northern America and Europe, while it increased substantially in Africa.

While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets will be a challenge. Low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15%, and stunting among children under five, while declining to 22.3%, still falls short of achieving targets. Additionally, the prevalence of wasting among children has not seen significant improvement while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased.

Similarly, new estimates of adult obesity show a steady increase over the last decade, from 12.1 percent (2012) to 15.8 percent (2022). Projections indicate that by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults. The double burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of undernutrition together with overweight and obesity – has also surged globally across all age groups. Thinness and underweight have declined in the last two decades, while obesity has risen sharply.

These trends underscore the complex challenges of malnutrition in all its forms and the urgent need for targeted interventions as the world is not on track to reach any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030, the five agencies indicate.

Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. Major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe. These issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.

Prevalence of undernourishment by region, 2015-2023 and project to 2030. Projected numbers of undernourished indicate that the world is far off track to achieve zero hunger by 2030. The current scenario shows that 582 million people, or 6.8 percent of the global population, will be chronically undernourished in 2030, pointing to the immense challenge of achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). This is about 130 million more undernourished people than in the “projections before COVID-19 pandemic” scenario. In Africa, it is projected that 10 million more people (18 percent of the population) will be facing chronic hunger by 2030. Without accelerated efforts and increased resource mobilization, under current prospects, the continent will only manage to stabilize the situation at the high level of hunger inherited from the last few years. Graphic: FAO
Prevalence of undernourishment by region, 2015-2023 and project to 2030. Projected numbers of undernourished indicate that the world is far off track to achieve zero hunger by 2030. The current scenario shows that 582 million people, or 6.8 percent of the global population, will be chronically undernourished in 2030, pointing to the immense challenge of achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). This is about 130 million more undernourished people than in the “projections before COVID-19 pandemic” scenario. In Africa, it is projected that 10 million more people (18 percent of the population) will be facing chronic hunger by 2030. Without accelerated efforts and increased resource mobilization, under current prospects, the continent will only manage to stabilize the situation at the high level of hunger inherited from the last few years. Graphic: FAO

Financing to end hunger

This year’s report’s theme “Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition’’, emphasizes that achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multi-faceted approach, including transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. It calls for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear and standardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition.

The heads of the five UN agencies, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu; IFAD President Alvaro Lario; UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell; WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain; and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus write in the report’s Foreword: “Estimating the gap in financing for food security and nutrition and mobilizing innovative ways of financing to bridge it must be among our top priorities. Policies, legislation and interventions to end hunger and ensure all people have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food (SDG Target 2.1), and to end all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2) need significant resource mobilization. They are not only an investment in the future, but our obligation. We strive to guarantee the right to adequate food and nutrition of current and future generations”.

As highlighted during a recent event in the High-Level Political Forum at UN headquarters in New York, the report underscores that the looming financing gap necessitates innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts.

Countries most in need of increased financing face significant challenges in access. Among the 119 low- and middle-income countries analyzed, approximately 63 percent have limited or moderate access to financing. Additionally, the majority of these countries (74 percent) are impacted by one or more major factors contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition. Coordinated efforts to harmonize data, increase risk tolerance, and enhance transparency are vital to bridge this gap and strengthen global food security and nutrition frameworks.

What they said

FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu: “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all. We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world.”

IFAD President, Alvaro Lario: “The fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. But the global and financial landscape has become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. Ending hunger and malnutrition demands that we invest more – and more smartly.  We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most.’’

UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell: “Malnutrition affects a child’s survival, physical growth, and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third, or 55 million, in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off. Yet globally, one in four children under the age of five suffers from undernutrition, which can lead to long-term damage. We must urgently step-up financing to end child malnutrition. The world can and must do it. It is not only a moral imperative but also a sound investment in the future.”

WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “A future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions. I call on G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s example and prioritize ambitious global action on hunger and poverty,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity – but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale. WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity.”

WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:  “The progress we have made on reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding shows that the challenges we face are not insurmountable. We must use those gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world endure every day from hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets and malnutrition. The substantial investment required in healthy, safe and sustainably produced food is far less than the costs to economies and societies if we do nothing.” 

Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report