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Over 600m people to face hunger by 2030: UN

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By Sohrab Sarwari

Aug 17, 2026 - 09:23

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KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations says the world remains off track to achieve the goal of “Zero Hunger” by 2030, with more than 600 million people worldwide expected to face hunger that year if current trends continue.

According to UN data released on Sunday, in 2024, an estimated 8.2 percent of the global population faced hunger and about 28 percent—nearly 2.3 billion people—were moderately or severely food insecure.

The figure was down from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022, but remained above the 2015 level, according to the report.

However, the report did not provide the figure for 2015.

The UN also said that around 2.3 billion people worldwide experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024, meaning they did not have regular access to sufficient food at some point during the year.

The organisation said the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate change and rising inequalities had made hunger and food insecurity more challenging.

The UN stressed that achieving the “Zero Hunger” goal by 2030 would require investment in agriculture, stronger food systems, social protection and sustainable access to sufficient and nutritious food.

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