Chapter 1 Sustainable Development Goal 2.1: Undernourishment and Food Insecurity

Key messages
  • The prevalence of undernourishment in the Asia and the Pacific region decreased to 8.4 percent in 2022 from 8.8 percent of the previous year, equivalent to around 12 million fewer undernourished people than in 2021, but 55 million more than in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Asia and the Pacific region represents half of the world’s undernourished people.
  • Southern Asia accounts for almost 314 million of the region’s undernourished people. This represents 85 percent of undernourished people in the Asia and the Pacific region.
  • There are more severely food insecure individuals in Southern Asia than any other subregions.
  • Women across the subregions, except for Eastern Asia, tend to be more food insecure than men.