Food Insecurity
About 2.4 billion people — nearly 30% of the world — experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023, according to the FAO. About 735 million faced severe food insecurity. These figures are above pre-pandemic levels. Conflict, climate shocks and economic disruption have stalled progress on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). The number is rising in sub-Saharan Africa and stagnating elsewhere.
Key insights
Food insecurity is broader than hunger
FAO measures multiple concepts. (1) Chronic undernourishment (POU): insufficient calorie intake — 735M severely. (2) Moderate or severe food insecurity (FIES): includes mild-to-moderate worries about food, reducing portions, going without — 2.4B. (3) Acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3+): severe hunger requiring urgent intervention — ~282M in 2023. Each measures a different dimension of food access problems.
Recent decade reversed earlier progress
Global chronic undernourishment fell from 12.5% (2005) to 7.4% (2014), then began rising again. By 2023 it was 9.1% — a setback of about 8-9 years of progress. The reversal was driven by COVID-19 economic disruption, the Ukraine war's effect on grain and fertilizer markets, climate shocks, and protracted conflicts in Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC and Afghanistan.
Conflict is the biggest driver of acute hunger
Of the ~282M people in acute food insecurity, ~140M are in conflict-affected countries. Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, DRC, Ethiopia, Haiti, Syria, South Sudan, Gaza together account for the bulk of the worst-affected populations. Aid agencies operate in increasingly contested security environments. WFP funding gaps mean ration cuts in major emergencies — 2024 saw 40% ration cuts in multiple operations.
Food insecurity by region (FIES 2023)
% of regional population moderately or severely food insecure
Key Finding: Africa and Latin America have the highest rates; sub-Saharan Africa alone has 60% of population food insecure.
Global undernourishment 2005–2023
% of world population chronically undernourished (PoU)
Key Finding: Fell from 12.5% to 7.4% (2014), then rose to 9.1% (2023). The recent reversal is one of the most significant policy failures of the past decade.
Methodology & caveats
FAO PoU
Prevalence of Undernourishment measures the proportion of population whose habitual food intake is insufficient to provide dietary energy levels needed for a normal, active, healthy life. Calculated from national food balance sheets adjusted for population-level dietary distributions. The methodology has been refined repeatedly; comparisons across long periods should use consistent versions.
FIES Scale
Food Insecurity Experience Scale uses 8 survey questions about lived experiences of food insecurity. Allows household-level measurement across all countries — including high-income countries where calorie-based PoU is essentially zero but food insecurity (anxiety, skipped meals) is real. FIES is more reliable for high-income countries; PoU is more meaningful for lower-income countries.
IPC and CH classifications
Integrated Phase Classification (and the Cadre Harmonisé in West Africa) assess acute food insecurity in crisis settings. Phases 1 (None) to 5 (Famine). The Phase 5 designation has strict criteria — IPC 5 has been declared 5 times since 2011 (Somalia 2011, South Sudan 2017, 2020, Sudan 2024). 'Famine' has a technical definition that's narrower than popular use.