A new United Nations report has revealed that Africa now has the highest number of people experiencing hunger globally, marking the first time the continent has surpassed Asia in food insecurity.
The annual assessment on global food security and nutrition shows that although hunger levels have gradually declined worldwide in recent years, progress has not been evenly distributed across regions.
According to the report, more than 309 million people in Africa were affected by hunger in 2025, representing about 20 percent of the continent’s population. In comparison, Asia recorded over 292 million people facing hunger, accounting for roughly six percent of its population.
Globally, the number of people experiencing hunger fell from 8.6 percent of the world’s population in 2022 to 7.8 percent in 2025, reducing the total by about 43 million people to an estimated 645 million. Despite the improvement, hunger levels remain higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report noted that undernourishment in Africa has continued to rise since 2017, although recent data suggests there could be signs of improvement in 2025.
It also found that access to healthy food remains a major challenge across the continent. About 66.6 percent of Africans are unable to afford a healthy diet, a figure more than twice that recorded in Asia.
To address the growing crisis, the report called on African governments to strengthen and transform the animal-source food sector, which remains the most expensive food category in many parts of the continent.
The report further highlighted climate-related disasters and ongoing conflicts as major drivers of food insecurity in Africa. Wars in countries such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo have disrupted farming activities, displaced communities, and reduced access to livelihoods.
Earlier this year, the United Nations warned that around 20 million people in Sudan were facing acute food insecurity due to the ongoing conflict. It also cautioned that continued instability in the Middle East could worsen global hunger if the crisis persists.
While rising energy and fertilizer costs linked to international conflicts have had a limited impact so far, experts warned that the situation remains uncertain and could deteriorate if current challenges continue.
