Key figures from the SOFI Report 2025:
- In 2024, 673 million people suffered from hunger.
- One in five people in Africa (306.5 million) are undernourished.
- A total of 2.3 billion people, accounting for 28% of the global population, experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. This means they either did not have regular access to sufficient food or lacked food to the extent of going an entire day without eating.
- Women and children are disproportionately affected: only 48% of women and 25% of children in Africa achieve minimum dietary diversity.
The SOFI Report 2025 presents a slight decrease in the number of people suffering from hunger worldwide compared to 2023, with 673 million people (8.2% of the global population) undernourished. But this apparent improvement masks a worrying reality, particularly in conflict zones like Gaza where mass starvation is spreading.
As the report focuses on data from 2024, it also does not reflect the drastic cuts in international aid which will inevitably set back the work to eradicate hunger in 2025.
The epicentres of a worsening crisis
“This report reveals a glaring injustice: while some countries are making progress, others are sinking deeper into hunger. We cannot talk about progress while millions of lives are being left behind. Hunger is not inevitable; it is a direct consequence of political choice.”
The African continent is now home to nearly half of the world’s hungry people – a figure that is projected to rise to 60% by 2030.
According to IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) figures that complement the SOFI report:
- 100% of the population of the Gaza Strip;
- over half of the inhabitants of South Sudan and Sudan;
- and almost half of Yemen’s population
experienced high levels of acute food insecurity. Globally, hunger levels remain significantly higher than before the pandemic and well above 2015 levels, the year the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted. In 2024, 96 million more people were suffering from hunger than at this baseline date.
Seismic budget cuts in 2025 not yet reflected in the SOFI report figures
The SOFI report data only goes up to 2024 and says nothing about the looming humanitarian crisis. In 2025, international funding collapsed while the need for food increased dramatically. USAID has been dismantled and drastic cuts are also underway throughout Northern Europe.
“These figures are alarming enough, but the worst may be yet to come. Cuts in international aid will hit the most vulnerable populations hardest. This is a political decision, and it has a huge human cost“ warns Kate Munro, Director of Advocacy at Action Against Hunger UK.
According to a study published in The Lancet in July 2025, US budget cuts alone could lead to up to 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under the age of five, largely due to deteriorating access to nutrition, healthcare and social protection in the most vulnerable countries.
