Global hunger has declined for the third consecutive year, with 7.8 percent of the world's population estimated to be undernourished in 2025, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 report.

This marks a significant improvement from 1970, when nearly 35 percent of people in developing countries faced undernourishment. The recent estimate also shows a decrease from 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8.5 percent in 2023.

The FAO report highlights that less than 2.5 percent of people in the United States, Canada, Eastern Asia, and Europe are undernourished, focusing the hunger statistics primarily on developing regions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Despite progress, armed conflict and violence remain the primary drivers of acute food insecurity in 12 out of 13 hunger hotspots identified by the World Food Programme and the FAO.

In 2025, approximately 645 million people still faced hunger globally. The FAO projects a 20 percent decline in hunger levels by 2030, but warns that 510 million people will remain undernourished, falling short of the United Nations' sustainable development goal of zero hunger by that year.

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