Progress on tackling global food insecurity and nutrition has stagnated, and the world is set to fail to meet its global targets by 2030, according to a report the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published last week.

In the three years between the coronavirus pandemic and 2023, when the report's data was collected, issues such as undernourishment, food insecurity, obesity and malnourishment have either stalled or worsened globally.

With six years until the U.N.'s 2030 deadline for zero hunger, its second sustainable development goal, the report estimated that 582 million people "will be chronically undernourished at the end of the decade," unless urgent action is taken.

The report said the intensification of conflict, climate variability and economic crises have fueled poor nutrition globally, exacerbated by underlying factors such as social inequality and environments where healthy food is more expensive and inaccessible than unhealthy food.

These drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition, the report said, have become more frequent and intense since the pandemic, resulting in more people facing hunger and food insecurity.

A general view of dried-up crops near the home of Arabang Polanka, a subsistence farmer, in Lipelaneng, Butha-Buthe District, Lesotho, on August 7. According to a U.N. report, one in five people in Africa faced... A general view of dried-up crops near the home of Arabang Polanka, a subsistence farmer, in Lipelaneng, Butha-Buthe District, Lesotho, on August 7. According to a U.N. report, one in five people in Africa faced hunger last year, and undernourishment rates continue to rise. PHILL MAGAKOE/Getty Images

For three consecutive years, levels of undernourishment and food insecurity have stalled, having risen sharply during the pandemic. In 2023, 2.33 billion people—28.9 percent of the global population—were moderately or severely food insecure, the report said.

The prevalence of babies being born underweight has also remained stagnant at a global level, particularly in low-income countries.

In Africa, rates of malnourishment are rising. One in five people in Africa faced hunger in 2023, the report said. In Asia, the rates have remained relatively unchanged for the past three years. Globally, an estimated 700 million people faced hunger last year.

Meanwhile, a combined problem of undernourishment and obesity continues to exist in higher-income countries. In this situation, people develop obesity because of sluggish metabolism, inflammation or an overconsumption of calories, while not receiving adequate essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.

Global rates of childhood overweight therefore remain stagnant, the report said, while childhood obesity is becoming more common, laying the foundations for a plethora of health care problems as these children grow up.

The report added that one in three people globally cannot afford to eat healthily—more than in 2017—because of uneven economic growth.

An old man's hands holding an empty bowl. The U.N. estimated that 700 million people faced hunger in 2023. An old man's hands holding an empty bowl. The U.N. estimated that 700 million people faced hunger in 2023. Stas_V/Getty Images

There has been some progress. Specifically, Latin America and the Caribbean have seen dramatic improvements in levels of malnutrition. Also, stunting is becoming less common in children younger than 5 years old, meaning fewer young children are experiencing slow development and impaired growth because of malnutrition.

Breastfeeding rates have risen, too, in the case of exclusively breastfed infants under 6 months old.

Overall, the report focused on the likely failure of the U.N. to meet its global food hunger targets by 2030, calling for an acceleration of efforts to transform global food systems and rethink the financing of work to end global hunger.

It predicted that there could be a financing gap—between what's needed to address its SDG target by 2030 and what's actually invested—of up to several trillion U.S. dollars. Rather than simply calling for more money, the report suggested that food security and nutrition financing should become more efficient.

After all, the report said, it's not just places with limited access to financial resources that are troubled by nutrition problems. Countries with better access to finances may have less undernourishment and stunting in their populations, but they are likely to see a higher average of childhood overweight.

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Reference

FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, & WHO. (2024). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1254en

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