When the world advances but many people still go hungry

Although the world has advanced significantly in food production technology and nutritional knowledge that enables efficient food management, many people still cannot access adequate and nutritious food as they should. The problem of hunger does not arise from food scarcity, but results from unequal distribution of opportunities to access food. While some groups may have abundant food, many others still struggle to obtain adequate and nutritious meals. This situation reflects inequality not only in income but also other factors such as geography, social conditions, and infrastructure that do not support everyone equally. We live in a world where technology and innovation can tremendously increase food production, but what is missing is a system that ensures everyone benefits from this progress comprehensively, which requires cooperation from all sectors to fill this gap.

Despite efforts in many countries committed to reducing hunger and setting goals to end this problem by 2030, current trends are not meeting expectations. Hunger and malnutrition continue to affect many people, especially children, pregnant women, and those living in high-risk areas such as regions affected by war or natural disasters. The fact that some people may have enough food to fill their stomachs but cannot receive adequate nutrients to maintain good health remains a persistent challenge. Meanwhile, policy adjustments and budget allocations in many countries remain in early stages, lacking clear management guidelines, making investments in food security and nutrition unable to achieve sustainable results. Existing efforts often lack effective evaluation and monitoring due to the absence of common standards for tracking results, making it impossible to determine whether these efforts truly solve the problem. Without clear working frameworks and effective measurement systems, solving hunger may become an endless task. Ultimately, access to good food is not just about food production, but about creating opportunities and fair resource allocation. Because access to good food should not depend on fate or place of birth, but should be a fundamental right that everyone receives equally. This article will explore the current situation of food security and nutrition, including factors that hinder access to quality food for everyone, and jointly consider approaches and innovations that may help solve hunger sustainably, to ensure that everyone can truly access good and nutritious food.

Food security is the foundation of life that is not yet accessible to everyone

What is food security?

Food security was first defined at the 1996 World Food Summit as the condition where all people have physical and economic access to safe and nutritious food at all times that is sufficient to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Four main dimensions of food security

Food security does not depend only on having sufficient food, but also includes access to quality food and proper utilization of food, as well as stability in various aspects that must maintain long-term stability so that everyone can continuously access good and adequate food, as follows:

1. Physical Availability of Food Having sufficient food is a crucial factor in meeting food security on the supply side, which depends on the level of food production, availability of reserves, and international trade. The quantity of food available in different areas directly affects food security at the national or global level.
2. Economic and Physical Access to Food Even with sufficient food production, if people in some areas cannot access food due to economic factors such as low income, high commodity prices, or market instability, they still lack food security. Addressing this problem requires focusing on improving income, expenditure, and commodity prices.
3. Food Utilization The body’s ability to receive adequate and valuable nutrients depends on food preparation, selecting diverse foods, and appropriate food distribution.
4. Stability of the Other Three Dimensions Over Time Sometimes having sufficient food currently may not guarantee consistent access to food in the future. Changes caused by various factors such as variable weather conditions, political problems, or economic crises can all undermine long-term food security.

To achieve sustainable food security, all four dimensions must be fulfilled simultaneously. If any dimension is lacking, the goal cannot be truly achieved, especially in the current context where we face challenges from climate change, economic instability, or conflicts in various areas. All of this requires cooperation from government, private sector, and civil society to drive everyone’s access to quality and adequate food.

The hunger situation reflects unresolved structural problems

Although today’s world has the potential to produce more food than ever before in history, the number of people facing hunger continues to increase. This situation is not merely the result of natural disasters, but reflects structural problems that have never been addressed. The fragile and unfair global food and economic systems have become conditions that reinforce inequality between those who are well-fed and those who still go hungry.

Global malnutrition surges The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report indicates that as many as 733 million people worldwide faced malnutrition in 2023, an increase of 152 million from 2019, demonstrating the escalating crisis of hunger and food insecurity globally. Moreover, “hidden hunger” has become a silent threat spreading widely. Over 2.8 billion people cannot consistently access healthy food. Although they may not skip meals, the lack of adequately nutritious food affects long-term health, especially among low-income populations facing rising commodity prices and economic systems that do not facilitate better choices. This problem becomes more severe when considering the role of food prices as a factor accelerating poverty. The World Bank indicates that a 1% increase in food prices could immediately push over 10 million people into extreme poverty. Although price trends have declined from their 2022 peak, global markets remain volatile, forcing low-income people to face uncontrollable risks from unfair external factors. Furthermore, research from Oxford and London School of Economics in 2024 indicates that the current inefficient global food system generates economic costs of over $10 trillion USD annually from health, environmental, or wasteful resource use impacts. This represents costs that humanity must bear from a system that benefits one group tremendously while leaving another group vulnerable. Without urgent and serious structural reforms, the number of people at risk of food insecurity could surge beyond 950 million by 2030, potentially preventing achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger.

Overlapping risk factors make food security increasingly fragile

Food security in many countries faces shocks from overlapping risk factors, whether war, natural disasters, or economic instability, each of which undermines already fragile food systems, making them even more fractured.

1. Conflicts and political crises Prolonged violence in countries such as Sudan forces people to be displaced, lose income, and be unable to access basic services, including humanitarian assistance. Sudan faces a food security crisis with nearly half the country’s population, almost 25 million people, experiencing severe food insecurity, with some areas already entering famine conditions.
2. Climate change impacts Droughts, floods, and extreme weather events that occur more frequently and severely destroy food sources from farms to plates, especially in countries that lack early warning systems and infrastructure to cope with climate impacts.
3. Food price inflation, income cannot keep pace with cost of living Data from November 2024 to February 2025 indicates that 78.9% of low-income countries still face food inflation rates above 5%, higher than the average in middle-income and high-income countries. This inflation rate also exceeds general inflation in over 56% of countries with available data, forcing vulnerable households to spend a larger proportion of their income on food essential for survival.
4. Agricultural commodity price volatility Although agricultural commodity price indices for several items have declined from the previous year, such as wheat prices falling 1% and rice prices falling 25%, some staple commodities like corn still have prices 23% higher than pre-crisis levels in 2020. This volatility remains a risk factor for food market stability, especially in import-dependent countries.

Using data and technology to end hunger and strengthen food security

Ending hunger and strengthening food security cannot occur without accurate and timely data. Investment in comprehensive data collection systems is therefore a crucial starting point.

1. Removing barriers to data-driven decision making Scattered and unsystematic data is one of the major obstacles hindering food security problem-solving. To address this issue, the World Bank, as part of the Global Alliance for Food Security cooperation, has established the Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard, a platform that integrates over 45 indicators from more than 40 organizations to provide a clear overview of the global situation and help identify areas still lacking critical data.
2. Accelerating access to insights through real-time data In a world where situations change rapidly, delayed data may make decisions untimely. The use of Machine Learning technology therefore plays an important role, such as real-time commodity price monitoring, enabling immediate analysis of food inflation trends, reducing delays in responding to shortages, and helping fill data gaps that were previously missing.
3. Using data innovation to create concrete results Good data not only helps analyze situations but also serves as the foundation for accurate and rapid response planning, especially in vulnerable areas with resource and access limitations. For example, in Yemen, using only 6 high-frequency indicators can detect food security warning signals up to 80% in advance, even in contexts with limited official data, and in Somalia, creating advanced statistical models helps local governments assess risks, provide early warnings, and respond to disasters more quickly and accurately.

The creative use of data and technology is therefore not just about efficiency, but about creating opportunities for survival and better quality of life for millions of people who continue to face food insecurity each day.

The next step for the world to prevent hunger from becoming an endless problem

Hunger is not merely about lack of food, but is a reflection of injustice deeply embedded in the world’s economic and social systems. While some regions have excess food that becomes waste, many other places struggle to find meals to fill their children’s stomachs even once a day. This shows that the hunger problem does not arise from insufficient food production, but from our lack of a fair enough system to distribute food to everyone. If the world still has hope of eliminating hunger completely, it may not just be about resources but about “shared commitment” that must begin today, before the word “hunger” becomes a permanent wound in human history.

Strategy and International Cooperation Coordination Division
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council

References

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2024). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024. Retrieved from https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/ebe19244-9611-443c-a2a6-25cec697b361

United Nations. (2024). Secretary-General’s video message to the Launch of the 2024 State of Food Security & Nutrition in the World: Financing to End Hunger, Food Insecurity & Malnutrition in All Its Forms. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2024-07-24/secretary-generals-video-message-the-launch-of-the-2024-state-of-food-security-nutrition-the-world-financing-end-hunger-food-insecurity-malnutrition-all-its-forms

World Bank. (2025). Five alarming statistics on global hunger. Retrieved from https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/five-alarming-statistics-on-global-hunger

World Bank. (2025). Food Security Update | World Bank Solutions to Food Insecurity. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-update

World Bank. (n.d.). What is Food Security? Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-update/what-is-food-security

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