El Salvador Faces 2.9 Million in Food Insecurity as Global Hunger Rate Dips to 8.2 Percent

A new UN report reveals that from 2022 to 2024, at least 2.9 million people in El Salvador—representing 45.5% of its population—experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, up by 300,000 from a decade earlier. The latest “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report, released by FAO, IFAD, WFP, UNICEF, and WHO, highlights a worsening trend: the number of Salvadorans struggling for daily meals rose by 3.3 percentage points compared to 2014–2016.

Roughly 1 million Salvadorans (15.4%) faced severe food insecurity, meaning they endured periods of hunger due to food shortages. Undernourishment affected 6.7% of the population, while rates of stunted growth and overweight among children under five reached 9.4% and 8.5%, respectively.

Across Central America, 16.9 million people were impacted by food insecurity in the same period, with El Salvador accounting for 17.1% of the total. Globally, hunger affected 8.2% of the population in 2024—down from 8.5% in 2023, but with progress lagging in regions like Africa and West Asia.

The report warns that persistent food price inflation is eroding pre-pandemic gains, and the world remains far from achieving the 2030 SDG target of zero hunger.