Nearly 645 million people around the world are facing hunger, according to the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report highlights encouraging progress in the fight against hunger, while warning that conflict, climate change and economic insecurity continue to threaten food security worldwide.

Each year, Rise Against Hunger uses this report to evaluate global hunger trends and strengthen our work to help communities achieve lasting food security. In this blog, we’ll share key findings from the 2026 report, how we’re responding and how Hunger Champions like you can help continue driving progress to end hunger.

Key Findings from the 2026 FAO Report 

In addition to 645 million people facing hunger,  the report stated that 2.1 billion people — over 25% of the global population — are food insecure, meaning they do not have regular access to the nutritious food they need to live a healthy life. Women remain more likely to experience food insecurity than men. 

The breakdown of people facing hunger by region, listed by percentage of population, in 2025 was:

• Africa – 20%
• Asia – 6% 
• Latin America and the Caribbean – 4.8%
• Oceania – 8%
• North America and Europe – Less than 2.5% 
  

Rise Against Hunger aligns with this data, concentrating our work in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Has Global Hunger Been Reduced?

The report highlights several encouraging trends:

• Hunger declined for the third year in a row.
• Nearly 14 million fewer people faced hunger than in 2024.
• Hunger rates in Africa declined for the first time since 2015.
• Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean saw steady improvement. 
• The gender gap in food insecurity gender gap was reduced.

How Rise Against Hunger is Responding

There is still work to be done, with hundreds of millions of people facing hunger and global food insecurity remaining higher than pre-pandemic levels. Progress made in recent years is threatened by increased frequency and intensity of weather extremes, conflict in the Middle East and reductions in government funding for humanitarian support, highlighting the importance of our mission. 

Additionally, women remain more likely to experience food insecurity than men, global progress on maternal and child nutrition is far too slow and a safe and nutritious diet remains economically out of reach for one-third of people worldwide. These findings reinforce why Rise Against Hunger invests in child nutrition, women’s empowerment and rural development to help communities build long-term food security.

Child Nutrition

Through our longstanding commitment to supporting school feeding programs, we’re working to boost child nutrition, education and bright futures, with 73% of our nutritious meals distributed in school settings around the globe. Our Growing Healthy Children initiative in the Dominican Republic strengthens school feeding and child well-being in one of the country’s most marginalized communities by delivering daily nutritious meals to children ages 3–16 while strengthening our partner school’s capacity to track nutrition, health and education outcomes. By combining fortified school meals, nutrition training and monitoring systems, the program supports learning, growth and long-term resilience. 

Women’s Empowerment

We continue to tackle the gender gap by empowering women in the communities we serve to earn incomes and support their families. Our Empowering Single Mothers program in Vietnam is equipping single mothers with safe farming training, microloans, producer groups, market linkages and education programs for their children. Mothers Thi Be, age 50, and Thi Tam, age 57, are program participants, learning financial management to record income and expenses, plan household spending and use available resources more effectively. 

Rural Development

Rise Against Hunger works predominantly in remote, last-mile communities because food insecurity disproportionately affects people in rural areas. In 2025, nearly 30% of adults in rural areas globally faced food insecurity. Our targeted efforts in rural areas promote nutrition, education and economic empowerment. In India, the BRIGHT (Building Resilient Indigenous and Rural Communities for Generational Hunger-Free Tomorrow) initiative supports remote, hard-to-reach communities as they work toward lasting food security and resilience. The program helps communities identify risks, understand support needs and create simple plans to respond to challenges. It strengthens local leadership and establishes community-managed systems that protect families during difficult times. 

Your Role in Helping to End Hunger 

This year’s FAO report emphasized that once again, the world is not on track to meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. While the number of people facing hunger is expected to continue decreasing, 510-520 million people — 56% of whom will be in Africa — are projected to still face hunger by 2030, highlighting the urgent need for action.

Rise Against Hunger continues to be driven by the vision of a world without hunger. We need your help to expand our impact and help the communities we serve achieve food security. Here’s how you can get involved today: 

• Donate to support communities around the world. With a monthly gift of $30 – just $1 per day — you can nourish a child for an entire month. 
• Host a meal packaging event with your business, church, civic organization, school or other group. Through this hands-on experience, you will assemble nutritious meals that are shipped to communities facing hunger worldwide.
• Share this blog post! When you spread the word about global hunger and food insecurity, you help to grow the movement. Your action will keep your friends and family informed and help encourage others to get involved in addressing this critical issue.