Africa has become the continent with the highest number of people facing hunger for the first time, according to a new United Nations report, marking a significant shift in the global food security landscape.

The annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and four other UN agencies, estimates that 309 million people in Africa, representing 20 per cent of the continent’s population, experienced hunger in 2025.

The report, cited by AFP and published by Channels Television, shows Africa has overtaken Asia, where 292 million people, or six per cent of the population, were affected by hunger last year.

David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the FAO, said the global pattern of hunger has changed dramatically over the past 25 years.

“The centre of gravity of hunger has shifted from Asia to Africa,” Laborde said, noting that countries such as China have made significant progress in tackling hunger, while India continues to intensify efforts to reduce food insecurity.

Globally, the proportion of people experiencing hunger declined from 8.6 per cent in 2022 to 7.8 per cent in 2025, reducing the number of hungry people by 43 million to 645 million. Despite the improvement, the figure remains above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

The UN report noted that undernourishment in Africa has risen steadily since 2017, although the latest estimates suggest early signs of improvement in 2025.

However, access to healthy food remains a major challenge. According to the report, 66.6 per cent of Africans cannot afford a healthy diet, more than double the proportion recorded in Asia. The UN urged African governments to prioritise reforms in the animal source food sector, which remains the continent’s most expensive food category.

The report attributed the worsening food crisis to a combination of climate-related shocks and persistent conflicts across the continent.

Laborde pointed to ongoing violence in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying conflicts have prevented millions of people from accessing farmland or earning a livelihood.

The UN had earlier warned that 20 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity because of the country’s ongoing war. It also cautioned in June that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could push millions more people into severe hunger.

While rising energy and fertiliser costs linked to the conflict have had only a limited impact so far, Laborde warned that the crisis remains unresolved.