Adedokun Waliyu 
Africa has become the continent with the highest number of people facing hunger for the first time, according to a new report by the United Nations, highlighting the growing challenge of undernourishment across the region.
The findings are contained in the UN’s annual report on food security and nutrition, jointly produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and four other UN agencies.
According to the report, 309 million people in Africa—about 20 per cent of the continent’s population—experienced hunger in 2025, surpassing Asia’s 292 million, which represents about six per cent of its population.
Speaking on the report, FAO Director of Agrifood Economics, David Laborde, said the global centre of hunger has shifted from Asia to Africa.
He noted that while countries such as China have largely overcome hunger and India has made significant efforts to reduce it, Africa is now facing increasing food insecurity.
Globally, the report showed some improvement, with the proportion of people experiencing hunger falling from 8.6 per cent in 2022 to 7.8 per cent in 2025. This represents a reduction of 43 million people, bringing the global total to 645 million. However, the figure remains higher than pre-COVID-19 levels.
The report also revealed that undernourishment in Africa has been rising since 2017, although there are early signs of improvement in 2025.
In addition, the number of Africans unable to afford a healthy diet has continued to increase since 2021, unlike other regions where affordability has improved.
According to the report, 66.6 per cent of Africans cannot afford a healthy diet—more than twice the proportion recorded in Asia.
The UN urged African governments to prioritise the transformation of the animal-source food sector, describing it as the most expensive food group across the continent.
The report attributed Africa’s worsening food crisis to a combination of climate-related disasters and prolonged armed conflicts.
Laborde said ongoing conflicts in countries such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo have left millions unable to access their farmlands or earn a livelihood.
The UN had earlier warned that 20 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity as a result of the country’s civil war.
It also cautioned that the prolonged conflict in the Middle East could push millions more people into severe hunger, although the impact of rising energy and fertiliser costs on global food supplies remains limited for now.
The report stressed the need for sustained investment, stronger agricultural policies and conflict resolution to reverse the growing hunger crisis across Africa.
