The ‘State of Food and Nutrition in the World’ (SOFI) 2025 report has been  released by the United Nations

• Despite a 30% decline in undernourishment since 2006, the 2025 SOFI report shows India had the highest rate of wasting among children under five in the world in 2024, with other key indicators also raising concern.
• Hunger affected up to 720 million people worldwide in 2024 — around 8.2 per cent of the global population.

About State of Food and Nutrition in the World Report

• Prepared by Five UN Agencies: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund), WFP (World Food Programme), and WHO (World Health Organization).
• Mandate: Tracks global progress on SDG targets 2.1 (ending hunger) and 2.2 (eliminating all forms of malnutrition).
• Focus Areas: Hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition, agricultural productivity, and related demographic and macroeconomic variables.

Key Global Findings

• Chronic Hunger: An estimated 720 million people experienced chronic hunger in 2024, accounting for 8.2% of the global population.
• Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity: About 2.3 billion people faced moderate or severe food insecurity globally.
• Post-2015 Rise: Hunger in 2024 remained higher than pre-pandemic levels and 96 million more people were chronically hungry compared to 2015, when the 2030 Agenda was launched.
• Food Insecurity Rise: 335 million more people are food-insecure compared to 2019; 683 million more compared to 2015.

Regional Distribution

• Uneven Progress: Though a decline from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022, regional differences persist; Africa and Asia still bear the highest burden.
• Asia: Largest share of undernourished people at 323 million, due to population size.
• Africa: 307 million undernourished, with the highest prevalence rate, over one in five people chronically hungry.
• Latin America & Caribbean: 34 million affected.
• Trends: Hunger declined in Southeast Asia, Southern Asia, and South America, but food insecurity remained persistent or worsened in several African regions.

2030 Projections and Global Goals

• Undernourishment Forecast: By 2030, 512 million people (6% of the global population) may still be chronically undernourished.
• Slow Progress: Only a 65 million reduction expected from 2015 levels (577 million to 512 million) by 2030.
• Regional Outlook for 2030:
  • Africa: Will account for 60% of global undernourishment; 17.6% of its population may face chronic hunger.
  • Asia and Latin America: Undernourishment expected to fall below 5%.

India’s Nutrition Situation in 2024

Undernourishment 

• Absolute Decline: The undernourished population dropped from 243 million (2006) to 172 million (2024) i.e., about 12% of India’s population was undernourished in 2024.
• Global & Regional Rankings:
• • 48th globally out of 204 countries.
  • In Asia: 7th highest proportion of undernourished people, behind countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan.

Child Nutrition Indicators

• Wasting (Low weight-for-height): 18.7% of Indian children under five suffered from wasting in 2024 — the highest rate globally, affecting over 21 million children.
• Stunting (Low height-for-age): 37.4 million Indian children under five were stunted, indicating chronic undernutrition.
• Overweight Children: The number rose from 2.7 million in 2012 to 4.2 million in 2024, highlighting a rising dual burden.

Women’s Health Indicators

• Anaemia Prevalence (Women 15–49): 53.7% of Indian women were anaemic in 2023 — highest in Asia and fourth-highest globally.
• Absolute Numbers: Anaemic women increased from 164 million (2012) to 203 million (2023).
• Global Ranking: India trails only Gabon, Mali, and Mauritania in anemia prevalence among women.

Nutrition Inequality and Systemic Challenges

• Persistent Causes: High rates of undernutrition are linked to poverty, inequality, and limited access to nutritious food, healthcare, and education — especially among marginalised groups.
• National Data Indicators: NFHS-5 (2019–21) showed stunting at 35.5% and wasting at 19.3% — consistent with SOFI findings.

Affordability of Healthy Diets

• In 2024, 42.9% of Indians could not afford a healthy diet.
• The cost of a healthy diet increased from $2.77 (PPP) in 2017 to $4.07 in 2024.
• Key Drivers: High food prices, poverty, inequality, and limited access to nutritious food and health services.

Double Burden of Malnutrition

• Rising Obesity: The obese adult population doubled from 33.6 million (2012) to 71.4 million (2024).
• Coexistence of Hunger and Obesity: Undernutrition and overnutrition both remain serious concerns, driven by economic disparities and changing diets.

Government Schemes to Address Malnutrition

• Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Offers free, nutritious meals to school children to improve nutritional levels and encourage school attendance.
• National Food Security Act, 2013: Provides subsidized food grains to eligible rural and urban populations to ensure food security.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018): Aims to reduce malnutrition in a mission-mode among children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers through a convergent approach.
• Anganwadi Services (under ICDS): Delivers supplementary nutrition, immunization, and health check-ups to children (0–6 yrs), pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): Provides cash incentives to pregnant and lactating women to improve health-seeking behavior and compensate for wage loss.
• Mission Poshan 2.0: Integrated nutrition support program aimed at improving nutrition delivery, outreach, and outcomes through use of technology and community-based efforts.
• Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB): Seeks to reduce anaemia among children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age through Iron and Folic Acid supplementation and behavioral change.
• Poshan Vatika: Encourages households to grow organic fruits and vegetables for improving family nutrition and ensuring food diversity.

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