World Food Day is highlighting the contrast between 645 million people facing hunger in 2025 and more than a billion tonnes of food thrown away each year.
01Summary
- 01The UN said 645 million people, or 7.8 percent of the world's population, faced hunger in 2025.
- 02About 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted in 2022, with households accounting for 60 percent of that total.
- 03The Maldives wastes the most food at about 260kg per person a year, while Spain is among the lowest at around 39kg or less.
- 04The FAO says about 13 percent of food is lost after harvest and before it reaches shops, worth more than $400bn a year.
- 05Food loss and waste are estimated to create 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and use 1.4 billion hectares of agricultural land.
02Why it matters
The story shows how food insecurity and waste exist at the same time, with major losses happening in homes, shops and supply chains. Cutting waste could ease pressure on food costs, land and emissions.
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