FAO: 645 million people faced hunger in 2025
On World Food Day, 16 October 2026, FAO warned roughly one in three people cannot afford a healthy diet.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) used World Food Day on 16 October 2026 to underline a stark finding: 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, and roughly one in three people worldwide could not afford a healthy diet.
FAO’s World Food Day theme for 2026—"Innovate today. Feed tomorrow."—was presented as a call to broaden access to new knowledge, technologies and practical solutions that can help farmers raise production and address mounting challenges.
Data and the implementation gap
FAO highlighted that the tools and technologies needed to eradicate hunger already exist, but their uptake is insufficient. The organization stressed that wider application of proven solutions is necessary to turn technical potential into measurable reductions in food insecurity.
The agency pointed to the dual problem of persistent undernourishment and the growing difficulty many households face in affording a nutritious diet. The 645 million figure for 2025 and the estimate that about one-third of the global population cannot afford healthy food were central to its message.
FAO urged policymakers, donors and private-sector actors to scale up investments in research, farmer training and climate-resilient practices so that innovation translates into better food access and diets for vulnerable communities.
Photo: press material from the event
