Africa has become the world’s hungriest continent for the first time, overtaking Asia in the number of people experiencing hunger, according to the latest United Nations State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report.
The report estimates that 309 million people in Africa faced hunger in 2025, compared with 292 million in Asia, marking a historic shift in the global distribution of food insecurity. Although the global number of undernourished people declined for the third consecutive year to 645 million, the UN warned that progress remains uneven and the world is still far from achieving its Zero Hunger target by 2030.
Africa’s hunger burden now affects one in every five people (20%), more than three times Asia’s rate of around 6%. The report attributes the crisis to a combination of armed conflicts, climate change, economic instability, rising debt burdens and heavy dependence on food imports, all of which continue to undermine food production and access across the continent.
The findings also highlight the growing challenge of affordability. Around 66% of Africans cannot afford a healthy diet, the highest proportion of any region in the world. Globally, an estimated 2.69 billion people remain unable to afford nutritious food despite improvements in overall hunger levels.
While parts of Asia and Latin America recorded notable improvements thanks to stronger agricultural productivity, social welfare programs and economic recovery, the UN warned that Africa’s rapid population growth has outpaced gains in food security. The report notes that even though the continent’s hunger rate fell slightly from 20.3% in 2024 to 20% in 2025, the total number of hungry people continued to rise because of population growth.
The UN also cautioned that climate shocks, geopolitical conflicts and disruptions to global trade could reverse recent progress. It urged governments to invest in resilient food systems, agricultural infrastructure and nutrition programs, warning that without sustained action, more than 500 million people could still be living with chronic hunger by 2030, with Africa expected to bear the greatest share of that burden.
