Global hunger is measured in several ways. Chronic undernourishment affected an estimated 673 million people worldwide in 2024, while broader food-insecurity measures covered about 2.3 billion people.
The figures below distinguish definitions, populations, periods, estimates, forecasts, and assessed crisis settings.
Key Global Hunger Statistics
These figures summarize the most important global hunger measurements:
- In 2024, 673 million people, or 8.2% of the world’s population, experienced chronic hunger.
- In 2024, between 638 million and 720 million people faced hunger worldwide, representing the SOFI uncertainty range.
- Global hunger prevalence was 8.7% in 2022 and 8.5% in 2023.
- In 2024, about 307 million people in Africa faced hunger, with prevalence above one in five people.
- In 2024, about 323 million people in Asia were undernourished.
- In 2024, Western Asia had a 12.7% hunger prevalence, affecting more than 39 million people.
- In 2024, about 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity worldwide.
- In 2024, more than 2.6 billion people could not afford a healthy diet globally.
- In 2022, 71.5% of people in low-income countries could not afford a healthy diet.
- In 2024, more than 295 million people in 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger.
- In 2024, about 1.9 million people faced catastrophic hunger in IPC/CH Phase 5.
- In 2024, nearly 38 million children under five were acutely malnourished across 26 nutrition crises.
- In 2024, stunting affected 150.2 million children under five, or 23.2% of children in that age group.
- In 2024, wasting affected 42.8 million children under five, or 6.6%.
- In a 2024 UNICEF analysis, around 181 million children under five lived in severe child food poverty.
- Exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months reached 47.8% globally in 2023, up from 37.0% in 2012.
Contents
- Latest global hunger totals and trends
- Regional hunger statistics and population shares
- Food insecurity and healthy-diet affordability
- Acute hunger in food-crisis countries
- Child malnutrition outcomes
- Maternal, infant, and dietary-diversity indicators
Latest Global Hunger Statistics and Trends
The 2025 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World estimated that 673 million people experienced hunger in 2024, equal to 8.2% of the global population. The report gives an uncertainty range of 638 million to 720 million, so the interval is not an additional population count. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025
The 2024 estimate was 15 million lower than the revised 2023 estimate and 22 million lower than the revised 2022 estimate. Global hunger prevalence was 8.7% in 2022 and 8.5% in 2023, but the longer comparison remains difficult because the SOFI series uses revised estimates.
The earlier SOFI 2024 estimate placed 2023 hunger at about 733 million people, with a 713–757 million undernourishment range. Its mid-range estimate was about 152 million higher than in 2019; that difference is reported by FAO and is not a causal attribution. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report
If current trends continue, about 512 million people could be chronically undernourished in 2030. This is a scenario projection, not an observed outcome. Global hunger declines, but rises in Africa and western Asia: UN report
Regional Global Hunger Statistics and Population Shares
Regional totals show why a worldwide percentage alone can hide large differences in both prevalence and population size.
| Region | Period | Hunger or undernourishment measure |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 2024 | More than 20%; about 307 million people |
| Western Asia | 2024 | 12.7%; more than 39 million people |
| Asia | 2024 | 6.7%; about 323 million people |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 2024 | 5.1% |
The 2024 Africa estimate was above one in five people facing hunger. Asia’s prevalence fell from 7.9% in 2022 to 6.7% in 2024, while Latin America and the Caribbean fell from a 6.1% peak in 2020 to 5.1% in 2024.
These are regional prevalence-of-undernourishment series, so the percentages should not be read as food-insecurity rates. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025
For comparison, SOFI 2024 reported 2023 hunger prevalence of 20.4% in Africa, 8.1% in Asia, and 6.2% in Latin America. More than half of the world’s hungry people lived in Asia in 2023, a qualitative threshold rather than an exact percentage. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report
Food Insecurity and the Cost of a Healthy Diet
Food insecurity is broader than chronic hunger. SOFI uses the Food Insecurity Experience Scale for moderate or severe food insecurity, while hunger refers to chronic undernourishment measured through prevalence of undernourishment.
About 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024. The global prevalence declined from 28.4% in 2023 to 28.0% in 2024, but the 2024 total was still 336 million higher than the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025
The 2024 affordability estimate found that more than 2.6 billion people could not afford a healthy diet. This is a modelled economic-access indicator, not a direct survey of everything each person ate.
- In 2022, more than 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet worldwide.
- In 2022, 71.5% of people in low-income countries could not afford a healthy diet.
- In 2022, 6.3% of people in high-income countries could not afford a healthy diet.
- Asia accounted for 1.66 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet in the cited FAO regional estimate.
The income-group percentages and Asia total come from the revised healthy-diet affordability methodology reported in SOFI 2024. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report
Severe food insecurity affected 864 million people in 2023. In the same year, 58% of Africa’s population was moderately or severely food insecure, a Food Insecurity Experience Scale result distinct from Africa’s 20.4% chronic-hunger prevalence. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report
Acute Hunger Statistics in Food-Crisis Countries
Acute hunger describes immediate food-crisis conditions and is not interchangeable with SOFI’s global chronic-hunger total. The Global Report on Food Crises covers assessed food-crisis countries and territories, so its denominator and coverage differ from worldwide estimates.
More than 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger in 2024. That was an increase of 13.7 million from 2023, although changes in coverage and assessments can affect comparisons.
Acute food insecurity affected 22.6% of the population assessed, remaining above 20% for the fifth consecutive year.
| 2024 acute-crisis measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| People facing acute hunger | More than 295 million |
| Assessed population in acute food insecurity | 22.6% |
| Catastrophic hunger, IPC/CH Phase 5 | About 1.9 million people |
| Children under five acutely malnourished | Nearly 38 million across 26 crises |
Conflict drove acute food insecurity for around 140 million people in 20 countries and territories. Economic shocks drove hunger for 59.4 million people in 15 countries, while weather extremes pushed 18 countries into food crises affecting more than 96 million people; these driver categories can overlap. Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rose for sixth consecutive year in world’s most fragile regions
Nearly 95 million forcibly displaced people lived in countries facing food crises in 2024. The cited GRFC context put the global total of forcibly displaced people at 128 million in mid-2024; not all displaced people are food insecure, and the categories include internally displaced people, asylum seekers, and refugees. Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rose for sixth consecutive year in world’s most fragile regions
Child Malnutrition Statistics and Hunger Outcomes
Child malnutrition captures outcomes that differ from chronic undernourishment. The 2025 Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates are harmonized and modelled inter-agency estimates, with country survey coverage and data availability varying.
| Outcome among children under five | 2024 estimate |
|---|---|
| Stunting | 23.2%, or 150.2 million |
| Wasting | 6.6%, or 42.8 million |
| Overweight | 5.5%, or 35.5 million |
The number of stunted children fell from 180.4 million in 2012 to 150.2 million in 2024. Stunting prevalence declined from 26.4% to 23.2%, while wasting declined from 7.4% to 6.6%; these are trend estimates, not a single longitudinal cohort. Levels and trends in child malnutrition: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates, key findings of the 2025 edition
Overweight prevalence moved from 5.3% in 2012 to 5.5% in 2024. Overweight is a distinct form of malnutrition and should not be treated as a measure of food deprivation. Levels and trends in child malnutrition: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates, key findings of the 2025 edition
A UNICEF analysis covering nearly 100 countries found that around 181 million children under five, or one in four, lived in severe child food poverty in 2024. The definition was consuming at most two of eight food groups, and children in severe food poverty were up to 50% more likely to experience wasting; this is an association, not proof of causation. 1 in 4 children globally live in severe child food poverty due to inequity, conflict, and climate crises
Maternal, Infant, and Dietary-Diversity Data
Nutrition indicators broaden the picture beyond hunger counts. They measure diet quality, maternal and infant health, or other outcomes and therefore should not be relabelled as direct food-insecurity measures.
About one-third of children aged 6–23 months met minimum dietary diversity in the latest estimate in the 2025 SOFI reporting cycle. About two-thirds of women aged 15–49 met minimum dietary diversity in the same reporting cycle; both indicators are about dietary diversity, not calorie sufficiency. Global hunger declines, but rises in Africa and western Asia: UN report
Exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months increased from 37.0% in 2012 to 47.8% in 2023. Anaemia prevalence among women aged 15–49 rose from 27.6% in 2012 to 30.7% in 2023, making anaemia a nutrition and health outcome rather than a direct hunger count. Global hunger declines, but rises in Africa and western Asia: UN report
The SOFI 2024 reporting cycle also placed low birthweight prevalence at about 15% globally for its latest available estimate. Low birthweight has multiple causes, so the rounded figure should not be interpreted as a standalone measure of food deprivation. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report
Global adult obesity prevalence increased from 12.1% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2022, and more than 1.2 billion adults worldwide are projected to be obese by 2030. Obesity is a distinct form of malnutrition and is not synonymous with food security. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report
The SOFI 2024 indicator vintage reported child stunting prevalence at 22.3% for its latest available estimate, while the newer JME 2025 estimate reports 23.2% for 2024. Global anaemia affected an estimated 570.8 million women aged 15–49 in 2019; this WHO health-statistics figure predates the newer SOFI 2025 prevalence series. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report