Bangladesh, Sept. 1 -- Global hunger fell by nearly 14 million people in 2025, but the UN says rural communities remain at the heart of the food crisis. Investing in soil health, technology, land rights and infrastructure could determine whether that progress lasts.

The world has made a small but significant step forward in the fight against hunger. Around 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, nearly 14 million fewer than the previous year, according to the United Nations State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 report.

The decline is particularly encouraging in Africa, where the number of hungry people fell for the first time in a decade.

But behind these positive figures lies a much more complicated reality.

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