For each 5 plates of meals served around the globe, roughly one results in the bin. That provides as much as greater than a billion tonnes of meals a 12 months.
In the meantime, 645 million individuals, about one in 13 of the world’s inhabitants, went hungry in 2025, in keeping with the UN.
That hole is the main target of World Meals Day on October 16, the annual UN observance marking the founding of the Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) in 1945. This 12 months’s theme, “Innovate at this time, nourish tomorrow”, requires meals programs that feed extra individuals and waste much less.
On this visible explainer, Al Jazeera seems at world starvation, which nations waste essentially the most meals and easy methods to waste much less at house.
Starvation is falling, slowly
International starvation has fallen for a 3rd 12 months in a row, however it stays above ranges seen earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic.
In keeping with the UN’s annual State of Meals Safety and Vitamin within the World report, an estimated 645 million individuals, or 7.8 p.c of the world’s inhabitants, confronted starvation in 2025. That’s down from 8.1 p.c in 2024 and a peak of 8.6 p.c in 2022, however nonetheless about 61 million extra individuals than in 2019.
The place are individuals essentially the most hungry?
Africa has extra hungry individuals than some other area.
In 2025, an estimated 309 million individuals in Africa have been undernourished. That’s one in 5 individuals on the continent and virtually half of the world’s hungry individuals.
By comparability, 292 million individuals in Asia (6 p.c of the inhabitants) and 32 million in Latin America and the Caribbean (4.8 p.c) have been undernourished.
The 2026 International Starvation Index reveals the same sample on the nation stage. The index scores nations out of 100, combining undernourishment with youngster stunting, youngster losing and youngster mortality. Scores of 35 or extra are thought-about “alarming”.
Starvation is classed as alarming in eight nations, seven of them in Africa. Somalia has the worst rating of the 122 nations ranked, adopted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad and Madagascar.
Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi and Yemen have been additionally classed as alarming, however battle and knowledge gaps meant the index couldn’t calculate their scores.
On the similar time, a big share of the meals the world grows by no means reaches a plate.
How a lot meals is wasted yearly?
Meals is misplaced and wasted at each stage of its journey from farm to desk.
In keeping with the FAO, about 13 p.c of the meals produced globally is misplaced after harvest and earlier than it reaches outlets, spoiling in storage, throughout transport or in processing. Fruit and veggies endure the very best losses.
Meals misplaced earlier than it reaches outlets is value greater than $400bn a 12 months, in keeping with the FAO.
Outlets, eating places and households then throw away virtually a fifth of the meals obtainable to customers, about 1.05 billion tonnes in 2022, in keeping with the UN Atmosphere Programme (UNEP). That’s equal to 52.5 million vans, every carrying 20 tonnes.
Households account for essentially the most, 60 p.c, adopted by eating places and different meals providers at 28 p.c and outlets at 12 p.c.
How you can scale back meals waste at house
Most meals waste occurs at house, which implies households could make an actual distinction. Listed below are some easy steps really useful by meals waste campaigners and UN businesses:
- Plan earlier than you store: Test what you have already got, plan meals for the week and store with an inventory to keep away from shopping for greater than you want.
- Perceive date labels: “Use by” dates are about security, however “greatest earlier than” dates are about high quality. Meals is usually nonetheless suitable for eating after its “greatest earlier than” date.
- Retailer meals correctly: Hold your fridge at 5C (41F) or beneath, and retailer fruit and greens the place they final longest. Bananas, for instance, velocity up the ripening of different fruit close by.
- Use the freezer: Bread, cooked meals, meat and plenty of vegatables and fruits might be frozen earlier than they go off.
- Cook dinner the correct quantity: Measuring parts, particularly for rice and pasta, cuts down on leftovers that get thrown away.
- Eat the oldest meals first: Transfer older gadgets to the entrance of the fridge and cabinet in order that they get used earlier than newer ones.
- Use leftovers and scraps: Flip leftovers into new meals, and use vegetable peels and stalks in soups and shares.
- Compost what you may’t eat: Composting inedible elements corresponding to peels and eggshells retains them out of landfills, the place rotting meals releases methane.
Which nation wastes essentially the most?
On common, each particular person on this planet wastes about 132kg (291 kilos) of meals a 12 months, roughly the load of two adults. Of that, 79kg (174 kilos) was thrown away at house.
However the quantity varies extensively. Hotter nations are likely to waste extra at house, UNEP says, presumably due to extra recent produce and fewer refrigeration.
The Maldives wastes essentially the most meals, with every particular person throwing away about 260kg (573 kilos) a 12 months, about twice the worldwide common. Syria, the Dominican Republic, Seychelles, Mexico and Tunisia observe, every losing greater than 210kg (463 kilos) per particular person, in keeping with UN estimates.
Spain recorded a number of the lowest ranges, at round 39kg (86 kilos) or much less per particular person.
What does meals waste price?
Meals loss and waste prices the worldwide economic system greater than $1 trillion a 12 months, in keeping with the UN.
To place that in perspective, what else might $1 trillion purchase?
Use the + buttons so as to add gadgets to your cart and see how the cash can be spent throughout 35 classes.
Throwing meals away additionally wastes the cash, land and power used to supply it.
About 1.4 billion hectares (3.5 billion acres) of land, or 28 p.c of the world’s agricultural land, is used to develop meals that’s by no means eaten. That’s an space bigger than Canada.
Meals loss and waste additionally generate an estimated 8 to 10 p.c of worldwide greenhouse fuel emissions, together with methane launched as meals rots in landfills.
