The 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, published by five United Nations agencies, reveals that while global hunger declined for the third consecutive year, access to healthy diets remains one of the world's greatest challenges. In 2025, an estimated 2.69 billion people—32.7 percent of the global population—were unable to afford a healthy diet. 

Although global hunger has gradually declined over the past three years, access to healthy and balanced diets remains out of reach for billions of people. The 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights that structural challenges within global agrifood systems continue to hinder progress toward food security and improved nutrition. 

According to the report, approximately 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025. While this represents an improvement of 14 million people compared with 2024 and 43 million compared with 2022, 7.8 percent of the world's population still suffers from hunger. Africa has become the region with the highest number of hungry people, with 309 million people affected, driven largely by rapid population growth. 

The cost of healthy diets continues to rise

One of the report's key findings is the increasing cost of healthy diets. According to SOFI 2026, the average global cost of a healthy diet reached PPP $4.28 per person per day in 2025, up from PPP $3.44 in 2021 and PPP $2.94 in 2017. 

Although the number of people unable to afford healthy diets has gradually declined in recent years, 2.69 billion people—equivalent to 32.7 percent of the global population—still could not afford a healthy diet in 2025. In other words, one in every three people worldwide remains unable to access a nutritious and balanced diet due to economic constraints. 

Regional disparities remain significant. In Africa, 66.6 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet—more than twice the levels observed in Asia and in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Efficient food value chains are key to reducing costs

The report emphasizes that agrifood value chains are among the most important determinants of healthy diet affordability. Between 70 and 75 percent of the price paid by consumers is generated after products leave the farm, while processing, logistics and wholesale activities alone account for up to 40 percent of total costs. Consequently, investments in infrastructure, cold-chain systems, logistics efficiency and reducing post-harvest losses are considered essential for making nutritious foods more affordable and accessible. 

The report also stresses that investments in research and development, irrigation infrastructure, trade facilitation and sustainable agricultural practices can simultaneously reduce food costs, improve nutrition outcomes and strengthen climate resilience. 

Nutrition targets remain off track

SOFI 2026 also warns that progress toward global nutrition targets remains insufficient. Indicators such as child stunting, wasting and low birthweight have improved only marginally, while anaemia among women continues to worsen. Adult obesity is also rising steadily. Worldwide, only 30.8 percent of children aged 6 to 23 months consume a minimally diverse diet, while 150 million children under five remain stunted. 

UN agencies call for stronger investment in resilient agrifood systems

Commenting on the report, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said the findings demonstrate that progress is possible, but much faster action is needed. He stressed that ending hunger and making healthy diets affordable will require stronger political commitment, sustained investment and enabling policies. Qu also noted that recent conflicts, climate-related disasters and global crises have exposed both the resilience and the vulnerabilities of agrifood systems, highlighting the need to better protect farmers and consumers. 

IFAD President Alvaro Lario emphasized that resilient agrifood value chains must be at the heart of the solution, noting that nearly 2.7 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet. He called for translating the evidence presented in the SOFI report into concrete investments through stronger partnerships to build market systems and rural economies capable of delivering affordable, nutritious food for all. 

WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said that behind every statistic is a family struggling with rising food costs. He warned that conflicts and climate shocks continue to push vulnerable households further away from nutritious diets and stressed the importance of investing in resilient food systems that can withstand future crises while ensuring access to affordable, nutritious food. 

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said every child deserves the opportunity to grow and develop with access to nutritious and affordable food. She described the report as a stark reminder that current food systems continue to fail millions of children and families, calling for food, health, education and social protection policies to work together in protecting the most vulnerable populations from global shocks. 

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the continued decline in global hunger but warned that a healthy diet remains unaffordable for one in three people worldwide. He also highlighted the growing prevalence of obesity and the lack of progress in maternal and child nutrition, reiterating that healthy diets are not a luxury but the foundation of good health and should be within everyone's reach.