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  • Publication | 2025
Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2025
Global Food and Nutrition Security

In 2024, twenty-five million people in Asia and the Pacific escaped hunger, reducing undernourishment to 6.4 percent from 7.0 percent in 2023. Yet, the region still accounts for nearly 40 percent of the world’s hungry, with almost 80 percent living in Southern Asia. Despite progress since 2000, child stunting, wasting, and anaemia among women of reproductive age remain above global nutrition targets.Healthy diets remain costly in the region, averaging 4.77 PPP dollars per day in 2024, higher than the global average of 4.46 PPP dollars. Eastern Asia has the highest cost at 5.95 PPP dollars per day. Though costs have risen since 2017, fewer people are now unable to afford a healthy diet, with affordability in the region better than the global average. Transforming agrifood systems is key to improving food availability, access, and affordability. Economic growth, regional cooperation, and climate variability shape food security, but inclusive growth is essential to reduce inequalities. Regional bodies like ASEAN, SAARC, and SPC are vital for driving this transformation.National pathways, highlighted during the 2025 UN Food Systems Summit Global Stocktake, emphasize stakeholder engagement, gender empowerment, innovation, and sustainable financing. However, many countries still must develop actionable, costed plans with clear implementation and monitoring frameworks. Accelerated, coordinated action is critical to meet food security and nutrition goals across Asia and the Pacific.