UN Report: Africa Surpasses Asia in Global Hunger Burden

Africa has officially overtaken Asia as the continent with the highest number of people facing hunger, marking a major shift in the global food security landscape, according to a new report jointly released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and four other UN agencies.

Data from the report reveals that 309 million people in Africa suffered from hunger in 2025, accounting for 20 per cent of the continent’s total population. In contrast, Asia recorded 292 million affected individuals during the same period, representing roughly six per cent of its population.

While undernourishment in Africa has been steadily rising since 2017, preliminary estimates suggest signs of stabilization. However, the continent continues to struggle with severe affordability challenges. Approximately 66.6 per cent of Africans are unable to afford a healthy diet more than double the rate seen in Asia.

UN officials attributed the shifting burden largely to active food security interventions in key Asian nations alongside compound crises in Africa. Sustained agricultural and economic policies in countries like China and India have significantly curbed undernourishment, whereas climate-related shocks and persistent armed conflicts continue to undermine food supply chains across Africa. Ongoing instability in regions like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced farming communities and wiped out household incomes.

Globally, the overall hunger rate dropped from 8.6 per cent in 2022 to 7.8 per cent in 2025, reducing the number of undernourished people worldwide by roughly 43 million to 645 million. Despite this broader progress, global hunger figures remain higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

To address the growing crisis, the UN agencies urged African governments to prioritize structural reforms in the animal-source food sector, which remains the continent’s most expensive food group, to improve dietary affordability and build resilience against future shocks.