Global hunger declines for third year but remains above pre-pandemic levels

Global hunger has declined for the third consecutive year, yet levels remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic figures. According to United Nations data, approximately 645 million people, or 7.8% of the global population, faced hunger in 2025. Africa remains the most affected region with an estimated 309 million undernourished people, followed by Asia with 292 million.

Parallel to hunger concerns, food loss and waste present major economic and environmental challenges. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 13% of food is lost after harvest during storage, transport, and processing.

At the consumer level, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported that approximately 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted in 2022 across retail, food services, and households. Households are responsible for 60% of this waste, followed by food services at 28% and retail at 12%.