UN report says healthy diet remains out of reach for billions
A new UN report says 2.69 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2025, even as global hunger fell for a third straight year
Healthy diet too expensive for one in three people globally remains a pressing warning in a new UN report that says billions of people still cannot afford the foods needed for a balanced diet, even as global hunger continued to ease in 2025.
The annual assessment from five UN agencies estimates that 2.69 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet last year. That is roughly one in three people worldwide, underscoring a gap between the progress seen in hunger reduction and the much harder problem of making nutritious food financially accessible.
Healthy diet too expensive for one in three people globally
According to the report, global hunger fell for a third consecutive year in 2025. The share of the population affected dropped to 7.8%, down from 8.1% in 2024. The findings suggest that some improvements are being made in food security, but they do not yet extend far enough to ensure that large numbers of people can buy the fruits, vegetables and dairy products associated with a healthy diet.
That contrast is central to the report’s message. Hunger rates may be moving in the right direction, but affordability remains a major barrier to better nutrition. The report says the proportion of people unable to afford a healthy diet is still extremely high, a point highlighted by Maximo Torero, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Africa faces the highest burden
The report gives particular attention to regional inequality. In Africa, 66.6% of the population was unable to afford a healthy diet in 2025. The source report says that is more than double the levels recorded in Asia or in Latin America and the Caribbean, showing how uneven access to nutritious food remains across the world.
The annual findings also note signs that a prolonged upward trend in Africa may be starting to halt. That does not mean the problem has been solved. Instead, it suggests a possible turning point after years of worsening pressure, while the overall burden remains severe.
Why the findings matter
The report matters because it separates two issues that are sometimes discussed together: hunger and diet quality. A fall in hunger does not automatically mean people can afford food that meets their energy and nutrient needs. The UN agencies behind the report say that more work is needed if the world is to reach the zero hunger target by 2030, and they describe the scale of that task as immense.
The affordability problem also helps explain why nutrition outcomes can lag behind broader gains in food availability. If households cannot pay for enough variety in their diets, progress on hunger alone may not translate into better health outcomes. The report’s focus on food costs points to the importance of making healthier options more accessible, particularly fruit, vegetables and dairy, which the summary identifies as part of the affordability challenge.
What the report adds to the debate
The latest figures suggest that policy efforts will need to go beyond simply increasing food supply. They also will need to address price and access if healthier diets are to become realistic for more people. For now, the UN report paints a mixed picture: fewer people are going hungry, but far too many still cannot afford to eat well.
That tension is likely to remain central to global food policy discussions in the run-up to 2030. The headline progress on hunger is significant, but the report indicates that the harder task may be ensuring that healthy food is within reach for the billions who still cannot afford it.
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