Africa has become the continent with the highest number of people facing hunger for the first time, according to a new United Nations report on global food security and nutrition.
The report, released on Tuesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and four other UN agencies, estimated that 309 million Africans, representing 20 per cent of the continent’s population, experienced hunger in 2025.
Asia followed with 292 million undernourished people, accounting for six per cent of its population.
FAO Agrifood Economics Division Director, David Laborde, said the global centre of hunger had shifted from Asia to Africa as countries such as China made significant progress in tackling food insecurity, while India also intensified efforts to reduce hunger.
Globally, the share of people facing hunger declined from 8.6 per cent in 2022 to 7.8 per cent in 2025, reducing the number of undernourished people by 43 million to 645 million. However, the figure remains above pre-COVID-19 levels.
The report noted that undernourishment in Africa has risen steadily since 2017, although early signs of improvement emerged in 2025.
It also found that 66.6 per cent of Africans cannot afford a healthy diet, more than double the proportion in Asia.
The UN attributed the worsening food crisis to climate-related shocks, conflicts in countries such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and rising food production costs, urging African governments to strengthen food systems and invest in affordable sources of nutrition.