The 2026 edition of the flagship publication, commonly known as the SOFI report, provides a comprehensive analysis of the progress and pitfalls in the global effort to eliminate hunger and malnutrition. Released on Tuesday by five specialized United Nations agencies—the Food and Agriculture Organization (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)—the document offers a sobering look at the distance remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. While the data confirms a downward trend in the percentage of the global population facing hunger, the improvement is characterized as fragile, unevenly distributed, and currently insufficient to meet the international community’s "Zero Hunger" target.
A Statistical Overview of Global Undernourishment
The 2026 report estimates that approximately 7.8 percent of the global population suffered from hunger in 2025. This figure represents a measurable improvement from 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.6 percent in 2022. In absolute terms, this means roughly 645 million people were affected by hunger in 2025—a reduction of nearly 14 million individuals compared to the previous year and 43 million fewer than in 2022. This trajectory confirms a sustained recovery from the peak of the global food crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruptions.
However, the report emphasizes that the broader measure of food access remains concerning. In 2025, an estimated 25.8 percent of the global population—amounting to 2.1 billion people—experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. These individuals were frequently forced to compromise on the quality or quantity of their food intake due to lack of money or other resources. While this is an improvement from the 27.1 percent recorded in 2024 and the 28.7 percent peak in 2020, the current levels remain significantly above pre-pandemic benchmarks, indicating that the global food system has not yet fully recovered from the shocks of the early 2020s.
Regional Disparities and the African Paradox
A core finding of the SOFI 2026 report is the widening gap between different regions of the world. Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean have demonstrated steady and resilient improvements in their food security profiles. These regions have benefited from robust agricultural investments and social safety nets that have cushioned their populations from global price volatility.
In contrast, Africa has emerged as the global epicenter of the hunger crisis in absolute terms. For the first time, the number of hungry people in Africa—approximately 309 million—has surpassed the number in Asia (292 million). While the percentage of the African population facing hunger showed a slight stabilization, decreasing from 20.3 percent in 2024 to 20.0 percent in 2025, the continent’s rapid population growth means that the sheer number of undernourished individuals continues to rise.
The disparity is even more pronounced when examining moderate or severe food insecurity. More than half of Africa’s population (56.6 percent) faced such insecurity in 2025. This stands in stark contrast to 20.3 percent in Asia, 22.9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and a much lower 8.7 percent in Northern America and Europe. Furthermore, the report highlights that the gender gap in food security, while narrowing slightly, persists globally, with women remaining disproportionately affected by lack of access to nutritious food.
Conflict and the 2030 Projections
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has cast a long shadow over global hunger projections. The SOFI 2026 report includes updated forecasts for the next five years, taking into account the disruptions caused by the 2026 conflict. The report notes that the crisis has driven significant food inflation, primarily through its impact on energy and fertilizer prices.
Under current projections, approximately 510 to 520 million people may still be facing hunger by 2030. This is an increase from the pre-conflict "best-case" scenario of 503 million. While the global number of undernourished people is expected to decrease by roughly 20 percent over the coming years, these projections do not account for potential environmental disruptors. Specifically, the report warns that the anticipated El Niño weather patterns in 2026 and 2027 could further destabilize agricultural production and push these numbers higher.
The authors note that the convergence of man-made disasters—including the war in Ukraine, the Gaza crisis, and recent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz—has tested the resilience of global agrifood systems. When combined with a reduction in official development assistance (ODA) and humanitarian funding, these factors threaten to reverse the gains made over the last three years.
Stalling Progress on Nutrition and Maternal Health
Beyond the caloric intake required to stave off hunger, the report provides a critical assessment of global nutrition targets. Progress on maternal and child nutrition is described as "insufficient" to meet the 2030 international commitments. Key indicators such as child stunting, wasting, and low birthweight show only marginal improvements.
According to the data, 150 million children under the age of five are still stunted (short for their age due to chronic malnutrition). Furthermore, only 30.8 percent of children aged 6 to 23 months worldwide consume a minimally diverse diet, which is essential for healthy cognitive and physical development. While Asia is on track to meet stunting targets and exclusive breastfeeding rates are improving globally, other areas are backsliding.
Anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 is worsening in nearly all regions. Simultaneously, the prevalence of adult obesity is rising at an alarming rate, increasing from 12.1 percent in 2012 to 16.2 percent in 2024. This trend runs directly contrary to the global target of halting the rise of obesity by 2025. The report describes this "double burden" of malnutrition—where undernutrition and obesity coexist within the same communities or even households—as a burgeoning public health crisis.
The Economic Barrier: The Rising Cost of Healthy Diets
A significant portion of the 2026 report is dedicated to the "cost of a healthy diet." This metric measures the average minimum expenditure required to obtain locally available foods that meet nutritional requirements. In 2025, the global average cost rose to 4.28 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per person per day, a sharp increase from 3.44 PPP dollars in 2021.
Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the highest costs at 4.91 PPP dollars. However, the most severe affordability crisis is found in Africa, where 66.6 percent of the population was unable to afford a healthy diet in 2025. Globally, while the total number of people unable to afford a healthy diet fell from 2.97 billion in 2021 to 2.69 billion in 2025, the figure remains staggeringly high, representing nearly one-third of the human population.
The report identifies "post-farmgate" activities as a primary driver of these costs. Between 70 and 75 percent of the price consumers pay for food is generated after the food leaves the farm, with up to 40 percent of total costs arising from processing, logistics, and wholesale. The authors argue that improving efficiency in these segments—particularly through investments in cold chains and transportation infrastructure—is critical for lowering the price of perishable, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and animal-source proteins.
Official Reactions and Policy Implications
The heads of the five UN agencies involved in the report have called for a paradigm shift in how the world addresses food security. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu emphasized that while progress is possible, the pace must accelerate. He noted that recent crises have demonstrated the need to strengthen agrifood systems to serve the most vulnerable, including small-scale farmers.
IFAD President Alvaro Lario focused on the economic necessity of resilient value chains, stating that the evidence provided in the SOFI report must be turned into direct investment. "Together, we can build the market systems and rural economies that make healthy food affordable for all," Lario remarked.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell highlighted the systemic failure facing families, noting that food, health, and social protection must be integrated to protect children from global shocks. WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau echoed these sentiments, pointing out that behind every statistic is a family struggling with the cost of living. He called for sustained investment to match the scale of the challenge.
Finally, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that healthy diets are not a luxury but a foundation of health. He advocated for aggressive policy interventions, including front-of-pack labeling, taxing unhealthy products, and protecting children from the marketing of highly processed foods.
Conclusion: The Road to 2030
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 serves as a critical midpoint assessment for the 2030 agenda. The central message is one of cautious optimism tempered by reality: while the world has successfully averted a total collapse of food security following the pandemic, the current rate of progress is too slow to eliminate hunger within the next four years.
To bridge the gap, the report recommends context-specific policy responses. This includes reforming agricultural subsidies, facilitating smoother international trade, and investing heavily in rural infrastructure. The authors conclude that while the work remaining is "immense," the goal of a world where healthy diets are accessible to all remains a necessary and achievable objective for the global community. The data suggests that without a coordinated increase in political commitment and financial investment, the progress of the last three years may remain a temporary reprieve rather than a permanent solution.
