1189. Concerns about Global Food and Nutrition Security

2025 marks a critical juncture, being five years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and five years away from the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, food and nutrition insecurity remains an urgent global challenge, as many countries struggle with access to healthy and nutritious food due to recurring crises driven by climate change, rising food prices, and conflicts.

Many countries are facing severe data shortages in monitoring progress on food and nutrition security. A blog from the World Bank highlighted five concerning global food security statistics and emphasized the importance of data innovation in the battle against hunger.

1. The Surge in Malnutrition
According to last year’s “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)” report, as of 2023, around 733 million people globally faced hunger, an increase of 152 million from 2019, highlighting the worsening crisis of hunger and food insecurity.

2. Hidden Hunger Affecting 2.8 Billion People
The same report concluded that in 2022, 2.8 billion people were unable to afford healthy diets due to rising food prices and income inequality, leading to what is referred to as “hidden hunger.” The rise in food prices disproportionately affects poor households, forcing them to spend a larger share of their income on food.

3. Food Prices Driving Extreme Poverty
Global food prices have fallen from their peak in 2022, but price trends will remain a crucial determinant of food security in 2025. During the sharp price rise in 2022, a 1% increase in global food prices led to 10 million people falling into extreme poverty. This highlights the vulnerability of low-income populations to seemingly minor market fluctuations.

4. High Costs of Inefficiency
Last year, researchers from Oxford University and the London School of Economics concluded that market failures and inefficiencies are causing hidden costs amounting to $10 trillion annually in the global food system. These losses underscore the need for systematic changes to make food systems more efficient, fair, and less wasteful.

5. Dark Outlook Without Intervention
Without bold investments and policies, over 950 million people could face severe food insecurity by 2030, moving the world further from achieving the global goal of zero hunger.

These statistics already point to concerning trends. As food security deteriorates, there is an urgent need for timely and accurate insights to improve decision-making. The blog advocates for investing in data systems and leveraging technological innovation to transform the fragmented data environment into an integrated and actionable one.

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki, Information Program