Key Takeaways
The UN's 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report says global hunger fell to about 645 million people in 2025, or 7.8% of the world, down for a third straight year.
The number is down nearly 14 million from 2024 and 43 million from 2022, but the report calls the progress fragile and uneven.
About 2.7 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet, and humanitarian funding cuts threaten to stall or reverse the gains.
Global hunger fell for a third straight year in 2025, to about 645 million people, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, the UN's annual report released July 21. That is 7.8 percent of the world, down from 8.1 percent a year earlier.
The drop is real but small. Hunger is down nearly 14 million from 2024 and 43 million from 2022, and the five agencies behind the report, including the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization, called the progress fragile, uneven, and short of what the 2030 goal of ending hunger requires.
The harder number is diet. About 2.7 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet, the report found, and the cost of eating well is where progress has stalled, especially for women and children. Enough calories is not the same as enough nutrition, and healthy diets remain out of reach for roughly a third of humanity.
The report lands as the money to fight hunger is shrinking. Deep cuts to humanitarian and nutrition funding over the past year have forced aid agencies to ration what they have, which is why a falling number can still describe a worsening emergency in the hardest-hit places.
That is the picture on the ground, from the World Food Programme cutting rations in Sudan amid a $646 million funding gap to more than 4 million people falling off SNAP at home. The trend line is down, and the agencies say hunger is not inevitable. Whether the money holds is the part they cannot control. Worth watching.
People Also Ask
How many people are hungry in the world in 2026?
The UN's 2026 SOFI report says about 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, or 7.8% of the global population, down for a third straight year.
What is the SOFI report?
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is an annual report produced by five UN agencies, FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, tracking global hunger, food security, and nutrition.
Is global hunger getting better or worse?
Global hunger has declined for three consecutive years, but the report calls the progress fragile and uneven and warns that funding cuts could stall or reverse it.
How many people cannot afford a healthy diet?
About 2.7 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet, according to the 2026 report, the area where progress has largely stalled.