SOFI 2025 Report: Global Hunger at 8.2% in 2024
Why in the news
The UN flagship report on food security and nutrition checked progress on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), looking at post-pandemic recovery, affordability and regional gaps, with projections to 2030.
Key findings
| Theme | Finding |
|---|---|
| Chronic hunger | 8.2% (about 720 million) in 2024, still above pre-pandemic levels |
| 2030 outlook | Only 65 million fewer undernourished; SDG 2 unreachable at current pace |
| Diet cost | 3 billion-plus cannot afford a healthy diet |
| Regions | Africa undernourishment above 20%; Asia has nearly half of food-insecure people |
| Drivers | War, drought, floods and other climate shocks since 2020 |
| Pandemic effect | 96 million more hungry than in 2015 |
India insights
- About 6% cannot afford a nutritious diet although grain stocks are surplus.
- Urban areas recovering; rural areas hurt by PDS inefficiencies and price swings.
- High child stunting and wasting; cereal-heavy diets cause hidden hunger.
- Experts want millets, pulses and fortified foods in government schemes.
Positives
- Hunger fell from 8.7% (2022) to 8.2% (2024).
- Southeast Asia and Latin America improved through social protection and farm reforms.
- Better UN coordination and data-driven tracking.
Concerns
- Progress is too slow for the 2030 goal; hunger is concentrating in Africa.
- Rising food prices hit low-income groups hardest; fair distribution remains an issue.
Way forward
- Nutrition-focused PDS with millets and pulses.
- Crops beyond rice and wheat.
- Climate-resilient farming.
- More global support for Africa and South Asia.
- Align food prices with incomes through wage policy, inflation control and efficient supply chains.
Exam angle
- Goal tracked: SDG 2.
- Term: hidden hunger.