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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report produced by five United Nations agencies detailed that 2.6 billion people or 32 percent of the global population faced barriers to nutritious food last year. This assessment from the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, World Food Programme and World Health Organization noted a slight decline from 2.76 billion in 2019 amid post-COVID recovery in some economies. The joint publication highlighted how persistent challenges in food affordability have kept the overall number elevated despite marginal gains in certain parts of the world.
Figures from the UN agencies placed the average global cost of a healthy diet at $4.46 in purchasing power parity terms per day during 2024. The SOFI 2025 assessment found this price was 47 percent higher than that of ultra-processed food options, limiting choices for households with constrained budgets. Data in the report showed that rising inflation on items such as fruits, vegetables and animal-source proteins had widened the gap between healthy and less nutritious alternatives since the pandemic began.
According to the report, Africa saw the number of people unable to afford healthy diets increase from 864 million in 2019 to 1 billion in 2024. The UN agencies’ assessment found improvements in Asia along with modest gains in Latin America, Europe and Oceania over the same period. The SOFI 2025 document attributed regional differences to varying levels of economic recovery, food price stability and access to supply chains.
The United Nations agencies reported that trade shocks and ongoing food inflation have pushed nutritious options further out of reach for millions. Their assessment linked these pressures to broader setbacks in achieving global hunger reduction targets, with the likelihood of ending world hunger by 2030 becoming increasingly remote. Separate analysis cited in related UN briefings indicated that acute hunger declined marginally worldwide in 2024 while rising in parts of Africa.
A review of the data by the five UN bodies showed that micronutrient deficiencies remain a parallel concern, affecting large segments of populations even where calorie intake meets minimum needs. The report examined how limited access to diverse foods contributes to health burdens across developing regions. Updated estimates in the SOFI 2025 publication underscored the need for coordinated policy responses though specific recommendations fell outside the core statistical findings.
