A joint report released on Tuesday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) found that global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025.

The report, titled The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026, estimates that around 645 million people—approximately 7.8 percent of the world's population—experienced hunger in 2025. The report also noted that rising food prices linked to the Strait of Hormuz crisis have increased pressure on global food security and could contribute to persistent hunger over the coming years.

Despite the recent improvement, the UN agencies warned that between 510 million and 520 million people are still expected to face hunger by 2030, making the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving Zero Hunger unattainable under current trends.

According to the report, conflicts in the Middle East, increasingly frequent extreme weather events, and declining official development assistance and humanitarian funding are undermining progress toward eliminating hunger worldwide.

The UN agencies added that improvements in maternal and child nutrition remain insufficient to meet international commitments, including the 2030 Global Nutrition Targets.

The report also highlighted the growing global burden of obesity, noting that adult obesity rates continue to rise alongside persistent food insecurity.(ILKHA)