New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) An estimated 8.2 per cent of the global population, or about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, according to a UN report published on Monday.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) report published by five specialised UN agencies, showed that the hunger levels declined from 8.5 per cent in 2023 and 8.7 per cent in 2022.

However, progress was not consistent across the globe, as hunger continued to rise in most sub-regions of Africa and western Asia, showed the report.

The proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 per cent in 2024, affecting 307 million people, while in western Asia an estimated 12.7 per cent of the population, or more than 39 million people, may have faced hunger in 2024.

The report also projects that 512 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030.

Almost 60 per cent of those will be in Africa. This highlights the immense challenge of achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), warned the report launched during the Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“While it is encouraging to see a decrease in the global hunger rate, we must recognise that progress is uneven. SOFI 2025 serves as a critical reminder that we need to intensify efforts to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food,” said FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu.

Notably, the report highlighted that the global policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic — characterised by extensive fiscal and monetary interventions — combined with the impacts of wars and extreme weather events, contributed to recent inflationary pressures.

This food price inflation has hindered the post-pandemic recovery in food security and nutrition.

Low-income countries have been particularly hit hard by rising food prices.

“In recent years, the world has made good progress in reducing stunting and supporting exclusive breastfeeding, but there is still much to be done to relieve millions of people from the burdens of food insecurity and malnutrition,” said WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The report also recommends a combination of policy responses to control food price inflation. This includes targeted and time-bound fiscal measures, such as social protection programmes, to safeguard vulnerable households; and monetary policies to contain inflationary pressures; among others.

–IANS

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