Chronic hunger in the world is most prevalent in Africa and Asia, according to a report by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The WTO describes chronic hunger as a prolonged situation. People are unable to consistently access sufficient and nutritious food. This limits their health, productivity, and economic development. In addition, the SOFI 2024 report confirmed that global progress toward eradicating hunger remains insufficient.
Despite efforts, chronic hunger and food insecurity remain at high levels, affecting millions of people worldwide.
Chronic hunger in the world
After a sharp increase between 2019 and 2021, global undernourishment remained high. In 2023, it reached 9.1%, well above pre-pandemic levels. This equates to between 713 and 757 million hungry people, with an estimated average of 733 million, or 152 million more than in 2019.
Although most undernourished people live in Asia, Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of chronic hunger. In 2023, 20.4% of its population suffered from this condition, well above the 8.1% in Asia, 6.2% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7.3% in Oceania.
Between 2021 and 2023, Africa recorded an increase of 1.1 percentage points, equivalent to 29 million more people suffering from undernourishment. In contrast, Latin America and the Caribbean showed a slight improvement thanks to the rebound in South America. However, between 2022 and 2023, hunger worsened in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa, remaining above pre-COVID-19 levels.
Women
Looking ahead, projections indicate that 582 million people will continue to suffer from chronic hunger in 2030, some 130 million more than predicted before the pandemic. Africa will account for more than half of the global total.
Moderate or severe food insecurity, according to the FIES scale, also persists. In 2023, it affected 28.9% of the world’s population—some 2.33 billion people—of whom 864 million faced severe food insecurity.
Severe hunger increased from 9.1% in 2019 to 10.6% in 2020 and has remained high since then. Africa recorded the highest food insecurity, at 58%, almost double the global average. In Latin America, Asia, and Oceania, the figures ranged from 24.8% to 28.2%.
In addition, rural areas suffer more than urban areas. And although the gender gap has narrowed, women continue to be the most affected by lack of access to sufficient and nutritious food.