Progress fighting global hunger has been set back 15 years, leaving around 733 million people going hungry in 2023, equivalent to one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published on Wednesday.
“The bottom line is that we are still far off-track towards the goal of ridding the world of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition by 2030,” said Maximo Torero, Chief Economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in reference to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and specifically SDG 2: Zero Hunger.
Mr. Torero noted that if current trends persist, around 582 million people will still face hunger in 2030, half of them in Africa.
Despite progress in combating stunting and in promoting breastfeeding, global hunger levels have remained stubbornly static for three consecutive years.
Between 713 million and 757 million people were undernourished in 2023, around 152 million more than in 2019, according to the report, a joint publication by FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
Regional trends show a stark contrast with hunger continuing to rise in Africa, affecting 20.4 per cent of the population, while remaining stable in Asia at 8.1 per cent. This is a significant concern given that the region houses more than half of those facing hunger worldwide. Latin America has shown some progress with 6.2 per cent of its population facing hunger. However, from 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.
FAO’s Mr. Torero highlighted that Africa faces a unique challenge as it is the only region where hunger has risen owing to all three major drivers: conflict, climate extremes and economic downturns.
Of them all, he emphasized that war remains “a major driver” of hunger, exacerbating the food crisis across countries.
The report’s other key findings include that access to adequate food remains out of reach for billions. In 2023, approximately 2.33 billion people globally were moderately or severely food insecure, almost the same number as during the COVID pandemic.
Over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, meaning having to go for periods without food. While Latin America has seen some improvement in food security, in Africa, a full 58 per cent of the continent’s people are moderately or severely food insecure.
The economic reasons for global remain a major issue, too: the report found 2.8 billion people couldn’t afford a healthy diet in 2022. The contrast between high-income and low-income countries is stark, with just 6.3 per cent of people in the former unable to afford a healthy diet, compared to 71.5 per cent in poorer nations. And although Asia, North America and Europe saw improvements, the situation worsened in Africa.
In line with the theme of this year’s report – “Financing to End Hunger, Food Insecurity and All Forms of Malnutrition” – its recommendations focus on a comprehensive approach to achieving SDG 2: Zero Hunger. This includes transforming agrifood systems, addressing inequalities and making healthy diets affordable and accessible.
The report calls for increased, cost-effective financing and a standardised approach to food security and nutrition.
Of the 119 low and middle-income countries featured in the report, 63 per cent have limited access to financing. These countries are also affected by multiple factors of food insecurity. Better data coordination, higher risk tolerance and more transparency are key to bridging the financing gap and strengthening global food security efforts, the report maintains.