Global Hunger Declines for Third Consecutive Year, But UN Warns Progress Too Slow for 2030 Targets

Rome, August 17, 2026 — Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, according to a new United Nations report, though the pace of progress remains too slow and too uneven to meet international targets by 2030. The findings, released jointly by five UN agencies, offer a cautiously hopeful picture of global food security even as hundreds of millions remain without reliable access to adequate nutrition.

Background

Ending hunger and ensuring universal access to nutritious food remains one of the most pressing global development challenges, enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). Since the pandemic-era surge in food insecurity, progress has been slow and fragile, complicated by conflict, economic shocks, and increasingly frequent weather extremes linked to climate change. Tracking this progress requires reliable annual data, which is why the joint report — produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) — has become one of the most closely watched assessments of global food security each year.

Key Findings

“The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026” estimates that 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, a decline of roughly 14 million compared to 2024. This marks the third straight year of improvement, following earlier gains that brought the total down from higher levels recorded in 2022.

Despite this progress, the broader picture remains concerning. Around 2.1 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, meaning they were forced at times to compromise on the quality or quantity of food they consumed. Even more strikingly, 2.69 billion people could not afford a healthy diet — including two thirds of the population in Africa, where affordability challenges remain most acute.

The report emphasizes that while headline hunger numbers are improving, the gains are neither fast enough nor evenly distributed enough to put the world on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Risks and Recommendations

Looking ahead, the report warns that weather extremes — including the possible effects of El Niño in 2026 and 2027 — could threaten to reverse recent progress. Climate volatility continues to pose a direct risk to agricultural production, food supply chains, and the resilience of vulnerable communities, particularly in regions already facing high levels of food insecurity.

To address these risks, the report calls for greater investment in irrigation as part of a broader package of measures aimed at expanding the supply of nutritious food, reducing post-harvest losses, and strengthening the overall resilience of agrifood systems against future shocks.

Conclusion

The 2026 SOFI report presents a picture of fragile but real progress — hunger is declining, but not fast enough to meet global commitments, and the affordability of healthy diets remains out of reach for billions. With climate-related risks such as El Niño looming on the horizon, the report’s call for sustained investment in irrigation, resilient agrifood systems, and food loss reduction underscores the urgency of coordinated action. Without accelerated efforts, the goal of ending global hunger by 2030 will remain increasingly difficult to achieve.