Africa Surpasses Asia in Hunger Burden, UN Reports

A United Nations report released on Tuesday indicates that Africa has overtaken Asia as the continent with the highest hunger burden, with 309 million people suffering from hunger in 2025, representing 20% of Africa's population. In contrast, Asia has 292 million people affected, which is 6% of its population.

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), attributed Asia's progress in reducing hunger to sustained efforts in countries like China and India over the past twenty-five years. The report reveals that while the global proportion of people facing hunger has decreased from 8.6% in 2022 to 7.8% in 2025, the number of undernourished individuals remains higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

Africa also has the highest proportion of people unable to afford a healthy diet, with 66.6% unable to do so, which is twice the rate in Asia. The report urges African governments to prioritize reforms in the food sector, citing conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo as significant contributors to food insecurity.