Enviro News Asia, Santiago — Undernourishment in Latin America and the Caribbean declined for the fourth consecutive year, according to the 2025 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition: Statistics and Trends released today by five United Nations agencies.
The joint report, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF, states that 5.1 percent of the region’s population experienced hunger in 2024, down from a peak of 6.1 percent in 2020. The decline represents 6.2 million fewer people facing hunger.
The report indicates that more than 33 million people in the region still suffer from hunger, while 167 million experience moderate or severe food insecurity. Additionally, 181.9 million people cannot afford a healthy diet, and 141 million adults live with obesity.
Four countries — Brazil, Costa Rica, Guyana, and Uruguay — have reduced hunger prevalence below 2.5 percent. Chile and Mexico are close to that threshold, while Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Dominica, and Dominican Republic have reduced prevalence to below 5 percent.
South America recorded the most significant improvement, lowering hunger prevalence to 3.8 percent, nearly one percentage point lower between 2022 and 2024. Mesoamerica remained stable at 5 percent, while the Caribbean continued to face serious challenges, with hunger prevalence at 17.5 percent. The regional average reflects extremely high levels in Haiti, where undernourishment reached 54.2 percent during the 2022–2024 period.
Moderate or severe food insecurity affected 25.2 percent of the population in 2024, below the global estimate of 28 percent and down from 33.7 percent in 2020. However, gender disparities persist, with food insecurity 5.3 percentage points higher among women than men.
FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative René Orellana Halkyer stated that while hunger and food insecurity have declined, inequalities in food access and affordability remain significant. He emphasized the need for comprehensive, intersectoral approaches to address rising overweight and obesity while strengthening evidence-based policymaking.
The report notes that food price inflation continues to affect the region following the COVID-19 pandemic, supply disruptions, and geopolitical tensions. In 2024, the cost of a healthy diet rose by 3.8 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching USD 5.16 per person per day in purchasing power parity terms — the highest among all global regions. Despite this, affordability improved compared to 2021, with 15.4 million more people able to afford a healthy diet in 2024. Nonetheless, 27.4 percent of the population still cannot afford one.
IFAD Regional Director Rocío Medina Bolívar underscored the importance of directing investments toward women and rural communities, which continue to experience higher levels of food insecurity. WFP Regional Director Lena Savelli described the findings as a wake-up call to address persistent inequalities across subregions and population groups.
Nutrition indicators reveal mixed progress. Anaemia affected 19.9 percent of women aged 15–49 in 2023, below the global average of 30.7 percent but rising steadily since 2014. Adult obesity doubled since 2000, reaching 29.9 percent in 2022, nearly twice the global average of 15.8 percent.
PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa attributed rising overweight and obesity to unhealthy food environments characterized by widespread availability of ultra-processed foods and limited access to nutritious alternatives. He highlighted fiscal policies, marketing regulations, and front-of-package warning labels as key tools to promote healthier diets.
Among children under five, stunting prevalence stood at 12.4 percent, consistently below global levels over the past 25 years. One-third of countries are on track to meet the 2030 stunting target. Wasting prevalence remained low at 1.3 percent in 2024, with most countries achieving the World Health Assembly 2025 target. However, overweight among children under five increased to 8.8 percent in 2024, exceeding the global average and placing the region off track to meet the 2030 target of reducing prevalence below 3 percent.
UNICEF Regional Director Roberto Benes stressed that while progress in reducing stunting reflects sustained investment, the region faces a complex nutritional challenge that requires integrated health, education, and social protection systems to address all forms of malnutrition. (*)
