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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Environment & Climate

Africa overtakes Asia as continent with highest hunger burden — UN

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Africa has surpassed Asia as the continent with the highest number of people facing hunger, according to a new UN report.
  • In 2025, 309 million people in Africa experienced hunger, representing 20% of the population, while Asia had 292 million affected.
  • Factors contributing to Africa's food insecurity include climate shocks, conflicts, and the high cost of animal-source foods, despite a global decline in hunger rates.

For the first time, Africa has become the continent with the largest population experiencing hunger, overtaking Asia, according to a recent United Nations report. The joint publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization and four other UN agencies revealed that 309 million people in Africa faced hunger in 2025, accounting for 20% of the continent's population.

The centre of gravity of hunger has shifted from Asia to Africa.

— David LabordeDirector of the Agrifood Economics Division at the FAO, describing the shift in global hunger distribution.

In contrast, Asia reported 292 million people affected by hunger during the same period, representing about 6% of its population. The UN noted this shift signifies a change in the global hunger landscape, even as worldwide hunger rates have gradually decreased. David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the FAO, attributed Asia's progress to sustained efforts by countries like China and India.

Globally, the proportion of people facing hunger dropped from 8.6% in 2022 to 7.8% in 2025, reducing the undernourished population by approximately 43 million to 645 million. However, this figure remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. The report highlighted that Africa also has the highest proportion of people unable to afford a healthy diet, with about 66.6% unable to do so, more than double the rate in Asia.

Twenty-five years ago China still had a problem with hunger, but they solved it; India also has a problem, but they are putting lots of effort into actively resolving it.

— David LabordeHighlighting the successful efforts of China and India in combating hunger.

The UN agencies urged African governments to prioritize reforms in the animal-source food sector, which is the region's most expensive food group. The report cited climate-related shocks and ongoing conflicts, such as those in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as major drivers of worsening food insecurity. These conflicts disrupt access to land and livelihoods, exacerbating the crisis.

Conflicts like the one in Sudan… in the Democratic Republic of Congo, also weigh heavily on people who cannot access their land or no longer have any income.

— David LabordeExplaining how conflicts contribute to worsening food insecurity in Africa.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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