UN warns of famine in Africa, revealing one billion can’t afford nutritious diet
(MENAFN) The United Nations has issued a stark warning about a deepening hunger emergency in Africa, revealing that over 1 billion people—around two-thirds of the continent’s population—were unable to afford a nutritious diet in 2024. This alarming information comes from the latest estimates shared in the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) report, released recently.
The report was compiled by several UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, the World Food Program (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). It examines global progress and setbacks in combating hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
Globally, the report estimates that about 8.2% of the population, or approximately 673 million people, faced hunger in 2024—a slight improvement compared to 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022. However, this contrasts sharply with trends in much of Africa and Western Asia, where hunger has been rising.
“The proportion of the population facing hunger in Africa surpassed 20 percent in 2024, affecting 307 million people,” the report stated.
Projections suggest that by 2030, almost 60% of those chronically undernourished worldwide will be living in Africa. One of the most troubling aspects is the sharp increase in the number of Africans who cannot afford a healthy diet, which rose from 864 million in 2019 to over 1 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, the global figure for those unable to afford nutritious food has decreased from 2.76 billion to 2.6 billion.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “Hunger remains at alarming levels, yet the funding needed to tackle it is falling… This year, funding cuts of up to 40 percent mean that tens of millions of people will lose the vital lifeline we provide.”
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