State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025

• 30 Jul 2025

For Prelims: Food and Agriculture Organization, Stunting, Anaemia, SDG 2, Millet, Anaemia Mukt Bharat 

For Mains: Food and Nutrition Security in India, Challenges in Achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), Obesity as a Public Health Concern in India 

Source: DTE 

Why in News?

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2025 report, shows global hunger dipped to 673 million, but India still has the highest number of wasted children under five.

Note: SOFI is jointly produced by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

What is the Current State of Global Hunger and Food Insecurity as Highlighted in SOFI 2025? 

Global 

• Hunger Trends: In 2024, 8.2% of the world population (673 million) experienced hunger, down from 8.5% in 2023. Hunger remains above pre- Covid-19 levels, indicating incomplete recovery. 
  • By 2030, around 512 million people may remain chronically undernourished, with nearly 60% in Africa. Achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) will need major shifts in policy, funding, and food systems. 
• Food Insecurity: Globally, 2.3 billion people are moderately or severely food insecure, representing a significant portion of the world’s population.  
  • The pandemic and the Ukraine war worsened global food price inflation, pushing up the cost of a healthy diet through 2023 and 2024. Yet, the number of people unable to afford such a diet fell from 2.76 billion in 2019 to 2.60 billion in 2024. 
• Regional Breakdown: Asia accounted for the highest number of undernourished people at 323 million, followed by Africa (307 million) and Latin America and the Caribbean (34 million). 

India’s Nutritional Paradox 

• Undernourishment and Diet Affordability: About 12% of India’s population is undernourished (172 million people). While this is an improvement from 243 million in 2006, India still ranks 48th globally and 7th highest in Asia for undernourishment. 
  • In India, 42.9% of people cannot afford a healthy diet, as food costs rose from USD 2.77 (2017) to USD 4.07 (2024) in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms. 
• Double Burden of Malnutrition: Overweight children increased from 2.7 million (2012) to 4.2 million (2024). 
  • Adult obesity rose from 33.6 million to 71.4 million, highlighting rising overnutrition alongside undernutrition. 
• Child Wasting and Stunting: India has the world’s highest child wasting rate (18.7%) with over 21 million children.  
  • 37.4 million children under five are stunted, showing chronic undernutrition. 
• Anaemia in Women: Over 53.7% of women aged 15–49 in India suffer from anaemia (203 million in total). India ranks 4th globally in anemia prevalence, behind Gabon, Mali, and Mauritania. 

Malnutrition in Children 

Indicator	Definition	Consequences and Implications
Stunting	Height-for-age < -2 Standard Deviation (SD)  of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.	Delayed mental development and poor school performance.
Wasting	Weight-for-height < -2 SD of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.	Impairs the immune system, leading to increased severity and duration of diseases. It is an urgent sign of severe malnutrition.
Overweight	Weight-for-height > +2 SD of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.	Increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders (osteoporosis), and certain cancers (endometrial, breast, colon).
Underweight	Weight-for-age <-2 SD of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.	Children who are severely underweight are at greater risk of death.   Impaired growth and development and delayed cognitive abilities.

What are the Causes of India’s Nutrition Paradox? 

• Persistent Poverty and Inequality: Malnutrition and food insecurity remain concentrated among socio-economically marginalized communities, especially in rural and tribal areas. 
• Inadequate Dietary Diversity: Lack of access to fruits, vegetables, and protein-rich foods despite calorie sufficiency leads to hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiency). 
• High Food Prices: Inflation in nutrient-dense foods (e.g., milk, pulses, fruits) makes healthy diets financially inaccessible for a large population. 
• Health Service Gaps: Antenatal care, anaemia screening, and nutrition counselling remain inadequate across primary health systems. 
• Nutrition Transition: Urbanization and income growth have increased consumption of processed foods, resulting in higher rates of childhood and adult obesity. 

India’s Schemes Related to Food and Nutritional Security 

• Public Distribution System (PDS): As of 2025, India’s PDS covers over 80 crore people with 99.6% Fair Price Shops (FPSs) automation ensuring transparent foodgrain delivery. 
• PM POSHAN: Provides mid-day meals to school children, it aims to improve nutrition and boost school attendance. 
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY): Offers 5 kg of free foodgrains per month to 81.35 crore people as of 2025, it is extended till 2029 to ensure nationwide food security. 
• POSHAN Abhiyaan: Targets malnutrition in women, children, and adolescents with over 10 crore beneficiaries by 2024. 
• PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME): Supports micro food enterprises. Over 54,000 units set up and 1.88 lakh jobs created by 2023-24. 
• Price Stabilization Efforts: Buffer stocks and subsidized Bharat food products keep essentials like onions, atta, dal, and rice affordable. 

What Strategies are Needed to Tackle India’s Nutritional Paradox? 

• Invest in Local Food Systems: Support farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and local food processing units under schemes like PMFME, and strengthen agricultural market information systems to manage price fluctuations. 
  • Use targeted fiscal steps like  stronger social safety nets, while aligning fiscal and monetary policies for stability. 
  • Encourage kitchen gardens, millet promotion (Shree Anna), and region-specific crops to improve dietary diversity. 
• Combat Anaemia Among Women:  Expand Anaemia Mukt Bharat by providing  iron‑folic acid supplementation, deworming, and therapeutic dosing tailored to individual needs. 
• Improve Dietary Diversity and Protein Access: India’s diet is still heavily cereal-based. To tackle child malnutrition protein-rich foods like eggs and dairy should be regularly included in mid-day meals and child nutrition programs. 
  • Enhance PM Poshan Scheme and POSHAN Abhiyaan to address both macro and micronutrient deficiencies. 
  • Accelerate the implementation of the "One Nation, One Ration Card" scheme to ensure food access for migrant workers.   
• Monitor Obesity and Promote Healthy Lifestyles: India needs a ‘Suposhan Abhiyan’ to address both undernutrition and rising obesity by encouraging mindful eating. 
  • Tax junk food, subsidize healthy items, and schools must teach nutrition (like using Sugar Boards). 

Drishti Mains Question:

Discuss the significance of dietary diversity in tackling hidden hunger in India. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims:

Q. Which of the following is/are the indicator/indicators used by IFPRI to compute the Global Hunger Index Report? (2016)

1. Undernourishment 
2. Child stunting 
3. Child mortality 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 only  

(b) 2 and 3 only 

(c) 1, 2 and 3  

(d) 1 and 3 only 

Ans: (c) 

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Mains:

Q. Can the vicious cycle of genderinequality, poverty andmalnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples. (2021)

Q. Food Security Bill is expected to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in India. Critically discuss various apprehensions in its effective implementation along with the concerns it has generated in WTO. (2013)