Rome, 21 July 2026 — Three consecutive years of declining global hunger demonstrate that hunger is not inevitable, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared on Tuesday at the launch of the 2026 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report. An estimated 645 million people — 7.8 percent of the global population — faced hunger in 2025, representing nearly 14 million fewer people than in 2024 and 43 million fewer than at the 2022 peak.
The report, jointly produced by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, was launched at an event at FAO headquarters in Rome with contributions from the heads of all five partner agencies. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said the findings prove that determined policy action can deliver results.
"These numbers are important because they show that hunger is not inevitable. With strong economic policies, social protection and sustained investments in more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems, we can bend the hunger curve."
Key Findings
The SOFI 2026 report presents a picture of cautious progress shadowed by deep structural inequities. Food insecurity also improved substantially: approximately 2.1 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, nearly 86 million fewer than one year earlier. The largest gains were recorded in South America and Asia, particularly in Southern Asia.
Africa's Turning Point
Africa recorded an important turning point in this year's data. The prevalence of hunger on the continent declined from 20.3 percent in 2024 to 20.0 percent in 2025, marking the first interruption of Africa's upward hunger trend since 2017. However, approximately 309 million people in Africa remain undernourished, and rapid population growth means the absolute number of hungry people could still increase in coming years even as prevalence rates decline.
The Affordability Crisis
While the headline hunger numbers have improved, the report's focus on the cost of nutritious foods reveals a deeper and more persistent challenge. Approximately 2.7 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet. Nutrient-dense items — animal-source foods, fruits, and vegetables — account for nearly 70 percent of the cost of a healthy diet.
This affordability crisis is particularly severe in Africa, where two-thirds of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. SOFI 2026 shows that nutritious foods often remain costly because expenses accumulate across storage, processing, transport, and retail stages. Inadequate infrastructure, weak cold-chain systems, unreliable energy supplies, and inefficient markets continue to drive up the price of fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods, limiting access for low-income households.
The Outlook and Risks
Despite recent progress, the report projects that around 520 million people could still face hunger in 2030, putting the world off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). This estimate may underestimate risks because it does not fully account for the potential impacts of a strong El Niño event or recent reductions in development and humanitarian financing.
The launch event featured government ministers from the Dominican Republic, Senegal, Uzbekistan, and Brazil, who shared their countries' experiences in fighting hunger and malnutrition. Alvaro Lario of IFAD, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of WHO, and Carl Skau of WFP all contributed to the panel discussion.
Policy Priorities
Director-General Qu outlined several urgent priorities to sustain and accelerate recent gains:
| Priority Area | Specific Actions |
|---|---|
| Market stability | Keep food, energy, and agricultural input markets open; avoid export restrictions |
| Social protection | Strengthen targeted programmes for vulnerable populations |
| Input access | Ensure farmers can access fertilizers, quality seeds, water, credit before planting decisions become irreversible |
| Long-term investment | Irrigation, storage facilities, cold chains, transport infrastructure, early-warning systems |
A Fragile Recovery
The SOFI 2026 report carries a dual message: progress is possible and has been achieved, but it is uneven, insufficient, and vulnerable to reversal. The convergence of climate shocks, conflict, economic instability, and declining humanitarian funding creates a volatile environment in which hard-won gains can be erased quickly.
As Qu noted in his closing remarks: "In a world of ongoing and overlapping shocks, progress cannot be taken for granted; it must be protected, accelerated and extended to everyone, everywhere."
Sources:
- FAO, SOFI 2026: Hunger not inevitable, FAO says as global hunger report shows progress, 21 July 2026
- FAO/IFAD/UNICEF/WFP/WHO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026, DOI: 10.4060/cd8306en
- WHO, UN report: Global hunger levels ease for third consecutive year as regional disparities persist, 21 July 2026
- UN News, Global hunger levels ease for third consecutive year, June 2026
FIRAT Editorial Board
Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
