The UN on Tuesday said global hunger has declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, with improvements recorded across every continent.

The United Nations report said mounting risks from climate ‌shocks and trade disruption could threaten further progress.

According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, jointly prepared by five UN agencies, around 645 million people, or 7.8 per cent of the world’s population, experienced hunger in 2025.

It said it reduced from 8.1 per cent in 2024 and 8.6 per cent in 2022.

The report stated that the progress was driven largely by gains in Asia, particularly India, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

It said that some African countries also began to reverse years of deterioration, though the continent had the world’s largest undernourished population in 2025, with 309 million people affected one in ⁠five Africans.

According to the UN experts, global hunger is projected to keep falling by 2030.

A chief economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Maximo Torero, in an interview said, “The big difference to previous years is that this year ​the rate of hunger has declined in all continents, including Africa, although very, very slightly.’’

Torero said the trend offered grounds for optimism but warned that geopolitical tensions and weather disruptions posed significant threats to global food systems.

Among the most immediate concerns are issues with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for energy and agricultural inputs.

The interruption is driving up prices for fuel, fertilisers and transportation, increasing food production costs worldwide.

A potentially strong El Nino weather pattern could add further pressure by disrupting agricultural production in vulnerable regions.

“We hope the trend won’t change, but there are several risks affecting us right now,’’ Torero said.(Reuters/NAN)