Context:
The United Nations’ flagship report, State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2025, assesses global progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). The 2025 edition focuses on post-pandemic recovery, food affordability, and regional disparities, while projecting the hunger landscape up to 2030.
Key Findings:
- Chronic Hunger:
- In 2024, 8.2% of the global population—about 720 million people—were chronically hungry. Hunger levels remain above pre-pandemic benchmarks.
- Undernourishment Forecast:
- Only a 65 million reduction in undernourished people is projected by 2030, making the SDG-2 goal unachievable at the current pace.
- Diet Affordability Crisis:
- Over 3 billion people globally cannot afford a healthy diet, leading to increased dependence on calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods.
- Regional Disparities:
- Africa faces the highest undernourishment rate (>20%), while Asia hosts nearly half the global food-insecure population. Southeast Asia and South America have shown marginal improvement due to targeted reforms.
- Climate and Conflict Impact:
- War, drought, floods, and other climate shocks have become key drivers of food insecurity since 2020.
- Post-COVID Setback:
- The pandemic reversed a decade of gains, leaving 96 million more people hungry than in 2015.
India-Specific Insights
- Nutritional Inaccessibility:
- About 6% of India’s population is unable to afford a nutritious diet, despite the country having surplus food grain stocks.
- Rural–Urban Divide:
- Urban areas are witnessing recovery due to income rebound, but rural regions suffer due to inefficiencies in the public distribution system and high price volatility.
- Child Malnutrition:
- India continues to report high levels of child stunting and wasting, pointing to failures in early-age nutrition.
- Micronutrient Deficiencies:
- A cereal-dominant diet with low fruit, vegetable, and protein intake leads to widespread hidden hunger.
- Need for Policy Shift:
- Experts recommend including millets, pulses, and fortified foods in government schemes to ensure diet diversity and combat undernutrition.
Positive Developments
- Decline in global hunger from 8.7% in 2022 to 8.2% in 2024.
- Regional improvements seen in Southeast Asia and Latin America, driven by social protection and agricultural reforms.
- Improved coordination among UN agencies and adoption of data-driven hunger tracking systems.
Key Concerns
- The pace of progress remains too slow to meet the 2030 zero hunger goal.
- Hunger is increasingly concentrated in Africa, projected to account for 60% of the global undernourished by 2030.
- Rising food prices are disproportionately affecting low-income populations.
- Despite global food surplus, fair distribution remains a critical issue.
Way Forward
- Nutrition-Centric PDS: Expand India’s food subsidy programs to include millets, pulses, and locally grown nutrient-rich foods.
- Diversify Agriculture: Promote crops beyond rice and wheat to improve dietary balance and nutritional intake.
- Resilient Food Systems: Invest in climate-resilient and regionally adapted agricultural practices to reduce disaster-driven hunger.
- Strengthen Global Support: Intensify international cooperation to support vulnerable regions, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
- Affordability Reform: Align food pricing with income growth through minimum wage policies, better inflation management, and streamlined food supply chains.
