One in three people worldwide, totaling 2.69 billion, cannot afford to eat a healthy diet, according to a new report from five United Nations agencies. The finding comes as global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, but experts are calling for urgent action to address the persistent cost barriers to nutritious food.

The annual report, "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026," highlights that achieving the global target of zero hunger by 2030 will require "immense" effort. While the proportion of people affected by hunger decreased to 7.8% in 2025 from 8.1% in 2024, and a prolonged upward trend in Africa appears to be halting, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet remains "extremely high."

Maximo Torero, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization and one of the report's authors, explained that the cost of a healthy diet is calculated at 4.28 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per day. This figure is significantly higher than the extreme poverty line of $3 PPP per person, underscoring the financial challenge for a large segment of the global population.

This situation has significant implications for public health, as diets lacking diversity can contribute to obesity and diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Government policies have historically prioritized subsidies for staple cereals, which provide calories but not the necessary range of nutrients found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy.

The report indicates that Africa now has the highest number of undernourished people, with approximately 309 million. In 2025, a substantial 66.6% of the African population was unable to afford a healthy diet, more than double the rates seen in Asia or Latin America and the Caribbean. This regional disparity underscores the uneven impact of food affordability issues.

Experts emphasize that a shift in policy is needed to make healthy foods more accessible. Focusing solely on calorie availability through subsidies for basic staples does not address the complex nutritional needs of populations. The report implicitly calls for a more comprehensive approach to food security that considers both availability and affordability of diverse, nutrient-rich foods.

While global hunger statistics show a positive trend, the persistence of unaffordability for healthy diets suggests that economic factors and targeted agricultural and food policies play a critical role. The divergence between declining hunger and persistent unaffordability of healthy diets points to a nuanced challenge in global food systems.

Moving forward, the challenge lies in reorienting food policies and market structures to ensure that healthy diets are not a luxury but an attainable standard for everyone. The report serves as a stark reminder that progress on hunger reduction must be matched by efforts to improve the affordability and accessibility of nutritious food worldwide.