July 30 (UPI) -- Latin America and the Caribbean is among one of few regions in the world in which hunger has declined in recent years, with a sustained drop in undernourishment since 2020.
In 2024, the prevalence of undernourishment in the region fell to 5.1%, down from 6.1% during the pandemic, according to the United Nations' State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report.
The main driver of this improvement has been South America, while the Caribbean and Central America show stagnation or setbacks, with hunger levels still considered concerning.
South America saw the most significant improvement, with the share of people facing hunger dropping to 3.8% in 2024 from 5.5% in 2020. Moderate or severe food insecurity also declined, falling to 25.2% in 2024 from 26.7% in 2023 -- roughly 9 million fewer people impacted in one year.
The downward trend is attributed to social protection policies, school meal programs and support for small-scale farming -- initiatives the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization calls successful models for tackling food insecurity.
