The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024

On the launch of the report, IFAD President and UN-Water Chair Alvaro Lario said: “The fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most.’’

The report warns that global hunger levels have stagnated, with undernourishment affecting between 713 and 757 million people in 2023, a significant increase from 2019. The situation is particularly dire in Africa, where over 20 per cent of the population faces hunger.

The report also notes that food insecurity remains high globally, with 2.33 billion people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity. The number of people unable to afford a healthy diet exceeded 2.8 billion in 2022.

With these trends, about 582 million people could be chronically undernourished by 2030. The report calls for urgent and innovative financing to address these issues and ensure sustainable access to food for all.

• Explore the full report here.