Ace Food Desk – As we welcome 2025 and close the first quarter of the 21st century, it is a moment for reflection. We find ourselves at a pivotal midpoint five years away from the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Yet, food and nutrition insecurity remain pressing global challenges. Many countries continue to grapple with recurring crises fueled by climate change, high food prices, and conflict, all of which undermine access to the healthy, nutritious food that people need to thrive.

Monitoring food and nutrition security is a notoriously challenging task and one that often suffers from major data gaps. In this blog, we highlight five alarming statistics that underscore the urgency of the global food and nutrition security situation and discuss how data innovations are pivotal in combating global hunger.

The alarming state of global food and nutrition security

1. A surge in global malnutrition

Last year’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report found that up to 733 million people globally suffered from malnutrition in 2023, an increase of 152 million since 2019. This sharp rise underscores the escalating crisis of hunger and food insecurity worldwide.
 

2. Hidden hunger affecting 2.8 billion people

The same report concluded that rising food prices and income inequality have led to 2.8 billion people being unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022, contributing to what is termed as “hidden hunger”

Rising food prices disproportionately affect poorer households, which spend a more significant proportion of their incomes on food.
 

3. Food prices driving extreme poverty

World food prices have declined from their 2022 peaks, but price dynamics will remain a key determinant of food security in 2025. During the sharp price rises in 2022, World Bank estimations found that a mere 1% rise in global food prices pushes an additional 10 million people into extreme poverty. This underscores the vulnerability of low-income populations to even seemingly minor market fluctuations.
 

4. The high cost of inefficiencies

Last year, researchers at the University of Oxford and London School of Economics concluded that market failures and inefficiencies contribute to $10 trillion in hidden costs each year within the global food system. These losses highlight the need for systemic changes to transform our food systems to be more efficient, equitable, and less wasteful so that we can sustainably feed people with nutritious food on a livable planet.
 

5. A bleak outlook without intervention

Without bold investments and policies, our own World Food Security Outlook projections indicate that more than 950 million peoplecould remainat risk of facing severe food insecurity by 2030, pushing us even further away from achieving our global goal of Zero Hunger.

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