FAO’s SOFI 2025 highlights uneven nutrition gains, cites inflation as key barrier

ETHIOPIA – FAO and its partners have launched the 2025 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report at the recently concluded three-day United Nations Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktaking Moment.

Addressing the delegates attending the three-day summit, the Director-General, QU Dongyu, described the event as a “pivotal moment” and an opportunity to reflect on the global community’s progress towards building more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. 

“We must feed a growing population, ensure food security, and guarantee access to healthy diets for all – today and for generations to come,” said Qu.

According to SOFI 2025, an estimated 8.2 per cent of the global population, or about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 per cent in 2023 and 8.7 per cent in 2022. 

Encouraging progress has been made in both Asia and the Latin America and the Caribbean region, especially in Brazil, where the country has gone off the hunger map, meaning less than 2.5% of the population faces hunger. 

The Director-General noted that smart, targeted policies and strategic investments were the key drivers to the decline in hunger, notably in Southeast and Southern Asia, as well as in South America.

“However, progress was not consistent across the globe, as hunger continued to rise in most subregions of Africa and western Asia,” Qu stated.

Projections show that by 2030, 512 million people will still face chronic hunger, and six out of every 10 will be in Africa, with rural populations and women facing the highest burden of food insecurity.

“That is why I am pleased to announce that, for the first time, the SOFI report includes new indicators of dietary diversity for both children and women – this is a critical step towards monitoring SDG Target 2.2 more effectively,” he added.

Challenges that threaten progress on nutrition and access

This year’s SOFI report places a special focus on the impact of food inflation, where 2.6 billion people still could not afford a healthy diet in 2024. 

This stagnation is mainly due to overlapping global crises, with food price inflation emerging as a significant factor, eroding household purchasing power and weakening the connection between economic growth and improved nutrition.

The report explores the root causes and far-reaching consequences of food inflation and outlines a coordinated policy roadmap to address it. 

Key recommendations include targeted, time-bound fiscal support for vulnerable populations; aligning fiscal and monetary policies to stabilize markets; enacting structural and trade reforms; strengthening data systems to reduce volatility; and investing in more resilient agrifood systems.

SOFI 2025 also cautions against protectionist and inward-looking policies, emphasizing the need for coordinated global action grounded in solidarity, shared responsibility, and evidence-based decision-making.

What it will take to transform global agrifood systems

Adding to the summit’s outcomes, Qu shared four key takeaways for driving meaningful agrifood systems transformation.

First, placing youth at the center of transformation; second, scaling science, technology, and innovation as essential tools; third, targeted and scaled-up investment; and fourth, strong partnerships, especially with the private sector, as well as sustained political commitment.

He emphasized that the 2025 SOFI report confirms that progress is possible, with some regions already demonstrating what works. “The path forward demands urgency, inclusiveness, and action. We must reach all communities, rural and urban, women and men, children and elders, with solutions that are timely, fair, and effective.”

The Director General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting countries in this transformation, guided by the Organization’s vision of the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

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