Africa has overtaken Asia as the continent with the largest number of people experiencing hunger, marking a major shift in the global food security landscape, according to a new United Nations report released on Tuesday.
The report, jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and four other UN agencies, estimates that 309 million people in Africa faced hunger in 2025, representing about 20 per cent of the continent’s population.
In comparison, Asia recorded 292 million undernourished people, accounting for roughly six per cent of its population.
According to the UN, the findings reflect changing global hunger trends despite gradual improvements worldwide.
“The centre of gravity of hunger has shifted from Asia to Africa,” said David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the FAO.
Laborde attributed Asia’s progress to sustained efforts by countries including China and India.
“Twenty-five years ago China still had a problem with hunger, but they solved it; India also has a problem, but they are putting lots of effort into actively resolving it,” he told AFP.
Globally, the proportion of people affected by hunger declined from 8.6 per cent in 2022 to 7.8 per cent in 2025, reducing the number of undernourished people by about 43 million to 645 million.
Despite the improvement, the UN noted that global hunger levels remain above those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report also found that although undernourishment in Africa has risen steadily since 2017, preliminary estimates for 2025 suggest the situation may be beginning to improve.
However, Africa continues to bear the heaviest burden of food insecurity, with 66.6 per cent of the population unable to afford a healthy diet—more than double the proportion recorded in Asia.
The UN agencies urged African governments to prioritise reforms in the animal-source food sector, describing it as the continent’s most expensive food category.
The report also linked worsening food insecurity across Africa to climate-related disasters and prolonged conflicts.
“Conflicts like the one in Sudan… in the Democratic Republic of Congo, also weigh heavily on people who cannot access their land or no longer have any income,” Laborde said.
The UN has previously warned that about 20 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity due to the ongoing conflict, while the prolonged crisis in the Middle East could push millions more into hunger.
Laborde added that although rising energy and fertiliser costs associated with the conflict have had only a limited effect so far, the situation remains unpredictable.
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