Rising Food Insecurity Threatens Asia-Pacific Health, Growth

A young girl looks at signage advertising specials at a food stall near her school in New Delhi, India. India faces high rates of hunger and malnutrition, while the growing availability of ultra-processed foods contributes to rising rates of childhood obesity.

The year 2025 marked notable progress in reducing global hunger. However, climate pressures, economic instability, and ongoing conflicts continue to push agri-food systems to their limits, undermining food availability. A new report by UN agencies warns that these challenges are particularly acute in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for 40 percent of the world’s undernourished population.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) caution that access to nutritious food is increasingly slipping out of reach for millions, posing serious risks to economic development, public health, and social stability. Their joint report, released on December 17, assesses the state of food security and nutrition in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025, while tracking progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“In this day and age, no one should lack the food and optimal nutrition they need and deserve. Yet hunger, malnutrition, and overweight continue to affect the health and wellbeing of millions, including children,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. He called for multilateral efforts to rethink and reshape food systems across the region.

While the report notes a significant decline in undernourishment from 2023 to 2024—lifting about 25 million people out of hunger—it finds that South Asia remains the worst-affected subregion. Nearly 80 percent of South Asia faces moderate to severe food insecurity, alongside the highest rates of child stunting at 31.4 percent and wasting at 13.6 percent, both well above global averages.

The Asia-Pacific region also experiences nearly double the global average rates of malnutrition. Adult obesity is particularly widespread, adding to the region’s complex nutrition challenges.

Women and girls bear a disproportionate burden. They face the highest levels of food insecurity across Asia’s subregions, while anemia affects an estimated 33.8 percent of women and girls aged 15 to 49. Without urgent action, around 18 million more women and girls in South Asia could become anemic by 2030, raising the total to 259 million. Anemia is a major contributor to low birth weight and stunted growth, with long-term consequences for education, economic opportunity, and health.

“In South Asia, our young people and mothers are central to our development goals,” said Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). “Ensuring they are healthy and nourished is a strategic investment in our future.”

Although more people in the region can now afford healthy diets, cost remains a major barrier. In 2024, the average cost of a healthy diet was about USD 4.77 per person per day on a purchasing power parity basis—higher than the global average. South Asia recorded the widest affordability gap, with about 41.7 percent of the population unable to afford nutritious food.

These disparities threaten public health and economic productivity, leaving populations vulnerable to disease and weakening already fragile economies. A study cited in the report shows that Asia’s young and growing workforce contributed up to 42 percent of regional economic growth between 1960 and 2010. Rising food insecurity, however, could undermine these gains.

As urbanization, economic pressure, and climate change drive food insecurity, experts stress the need for adaptive responses. Governments and humanitarian groups must work together to build agri-food systems that are accessible, affordable, and resilient.

The report also underscores the role of globalization and trade policies. Well-designed trade agreements can expand access to nutritious foods and markets for small farmers, while poorly structured ones may increase the availability of unhealthy foods and weaken local agriculture.

It concludes that governments and stakeholders are increasingly aligning food and agriculture investments with sustainable production, healthier diets, and improved access to affordable nutrition—efforts that will require reoriented public finance, private investment, and innovation to secure the region’s food future.