According to the annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 report published by five UN agencies, one in three people globally – representing 2.69 billion individuals – cannot afford a healthy, nutrient-rich diet. While overall global hunger dropped slightly in 2025 for the third consecutive year to 7.8%, the cost of balanced nutrition remains prohibitively high, averaging $4.28 purchasing power parity per day. Experts highlight that government policies have historically subsidized calories from starchy staples over fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy, inadvertently driving up rates of malnutrition alongside a steep rise in adult obesity and diet-related chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer.
The burden of food unaffordability is particularly acute in Africa, where 66.6% of the population could not afford a healthy diet in 2025 – more than double the rate seen in Asia or Latin America. For the first time, Africa has surpassed Asia as home to the highest absolute number of undernourished people, with 309 million affected. UN economists emphasize an urgent need for targeted agricultural research, supply chain investments, and policy shifts to lower the cost of
nutrient-dense foods, warning that without systemic intervention, the economic and health burdens of poor nutrition will continue to escalate worldwide.
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