UN says global hunger declined for third straight year in 2025

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The United Nations reported that global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, with roughly 645 million people, or 7.8 percent of the world's population, facing food insecurity last year. That figure compares with 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.6 percent in 2022, according to a joint report by five UN agencies. The progress was driven largely by improvements in Asia, particularly India, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean, the report said. Several African countries have begun reversing years of deterioration, yet the continent still accounted for the largest share of undernourished people in 2025, at 309 million. UN experts projected the global hunger rate will continue to decline through 2030. Maximo Torero, chief economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, said hunger fell across all continents, including a slight decrease in Africa. Torero also warned that shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have raised fuel, fertilizer and freight costs, pushing up food production expenses. He noted that a potential strong El Niño weather event could further disrupt agricultural output in vulnerable regions.