Adopted in 2015 by all United Nations (UN) members, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a global agenda for making the world a better place by 2030. They are described by the UN as a ‘shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet‘, and goals are to be achieved by all countries, in global partnership, by 2030.
This page provides a selection of visualisations on global and regional trends for Sustainable Development Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
The visualisations use the latest official data from the United Nations SDG Global Database.
Target 2.1
By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
Indicators:
| 2.1.1 | Prevalence of undernourishment |
| 2.1.2 | Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) |
A. Undernourishment
According to the latest data from the United Nations, around 770 million people, 10% of the world population, were suffering from undernourishment in 2021.
The number of undernourished people has been on the rise since 2014 and could increase further in 2022 due to the lasting effects of the pandemic as well as the effects of the war in Ukraine disrupting the global food supply.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, almost 1 in 4 people are undernourished, a share approximately at the same level as in 2005. About 3 out of 4 people who are undernourished reside in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia.
B. Food insecurity
Food insecurity has also been on the rise in recent years, with the share of the world population who are moderately or severely food insecure rising from 22% in 2015 to over 29% in 2021. In 2021, that entailed that 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity worldwide.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines moderate and severe food insecurity as follows:
- People experiencing moderate food insecurity have reduced the quality and/or quantity of their food and are uncertain about their ability to obtain food due to lack of money or other resources. Moderate food insecurity can increase the risk of some forms of malnutrition, such as stunting in children, micronutrient deficiencies or obesity in adults.
- People experiencing severe food insecurity have run out of food and, at the most extreme, have gone days without eating. This group of people are those we call the “hungry”.
The regions most affected by food insecurity are Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Target 2.2
By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons
Indicators:
| 2.2.1 | Prevalence of stunting (low height for age) among children under 5 years of age |
| 2.2.2 | Prevalence of wasting (low weight for height) and overweight among children under 5 years of age |
| 2.2.3 | Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years |
A. Stunting
Stunting is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation". As of 2020, over 1 in 5 children under 5 years of age worldwide (150 million) were affected by stunting. The share of childen affected has declined over the last two decades in all regions. Still, current progress will not be enough to reach the internationally set targets of a 40% reduction (compared to 2012) by 2025, and a 50% reduction by 2030.
Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Africa are the three regions with the highest prevalence of stunting.
On this indicator, the UN notes that since the collection of household survey data on child height and weight was limited in 2020 due to the pandemic, estimates are based "almost entirely" on pre-pandemic data and thus do not take into account the impact of the pandemic on this indicator.
B. Wasting and overweight
Wasting is defined as a condition where a child has low weight for his or her height, reflecting acute undernutrition. In 2020, the UN estimates almost 7% of children under 5 years worldwide were affected by wasting. There is a lack of data to assess trends over time, though the current level is above the internationally set target of reducing the prevalence at a global level to 5% in 2025 and 3% in 2030. The prevalence of wasting is particularly high in Central and Southern Asia at over twice the global average (14%).
Data also shows that little progress has been made on the prevalence of overweight among children under the age of 5. In 2020, the UN estimates that 5.7% of children under the age of 5 are overweight worldwide. Based on the current trajectory, the internationally set target of reducing the prevalence of children overweight to 3% by 2030 seems out of reach.
Australia and New Zealand have the highest childhoood overweight rates, followed by Northern Africa and Western Asia and Europe and Northern America.
On this indicator, the UN also notes that since the collection of household survey data on child height and weight was limited in 2020 due to the pandemic, estimates are based "almost entirely" on pre-pandemic data and thus do not take into account the impact of the pandemic on this indicator.
C. Anaemia
Almost 1 in 3 women worldwide in reproductive age are affected by anaemia, increasing the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Globally, the prevalence of anaemia has been stable over the past decades, affecting almost 1 out of 3 women in reproductive age.
The prevalence of anaemia varies considerably between regions, with the levels in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia almost three times as high as in Europe and Northern America. As of now, the target of reducing the prevalence of anaemia by 50% before 2030 looks unlikely to be reached.
Target 2.3
By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
Indicators:
| 2.3.1 | Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size |
| 2.3.2 | Average income of small-scale food producers |
There is limited data available to measure progress on these two indicators. In its preliminary annual report on the SDGs for 2022, the UN notes that for those countries where data is available, small-scale food producers have an annual income of less than half of large-scale producers. Labour productivity is also lower for small-scale producers. Furthermore, women-headed production small-scale production units have only 50-70% of the income of those headed by men.
Target 2.4
By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
Indicators:
| 2.4.1 | Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture |
The indicator is currently under development, and thus no data exists to measure progress on a global level.
Target 2.5
By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.
Indicators:
| 2.5.1 | Number of (a) plant and (b) animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities |
| 2.5.2 | Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction |
Note that the target was set to be reached by 2020.
A. Plant genetic resources
The latest global data from the UN shows that around 5.8 million plant genetic resources for food and agriculture were conserved under medium or long-term conditions as of 2021. While the number has almost doubled since 1995, the growth rate has declined over the past decade.
Based on the current status, the UNs assessment of the current global situation is that:
The diversity of crop wild relatives, wild food plants, and neglected and underutilized crop species continues to be underrepresented in ex situ collections.
(Ex situ collections: plant genetic resources stored and maintained outside their natural habitat.)
B. Animal genetic resources
In terms of animal genetic resources, only 277 out of 7704 local livestock breeds (3.6%) are currently classified as having sufficient material stored in genebanks to allow them to be reconstituted in case of extinction.
Data on the share of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction is scarce, and thus the UN provides no assessment no the current global progress. FAO estimates that out of a limited number of surveyed local livestock, 72% were at risk of extinction.
Target 2.a
Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries
Indicators:
| 2.a.1 | The agricultural orientation index (AOI) for government expenditures |
| 2.a.2 | Total official flows (official development assistance plus other official flows) to the agricultural sector |
A. The agricultural orientation index
The agricultural orientation index (AOI) is calculated by taking a country's agricultural share of government expenditure and dividing it by the agricultural share of GDP. As such, it aims to capture the orientation toward the agricultural sector in a country with scores given according to the following methodology:
- An Agriculture Orientation Index (AOI) greater than 1 reflects a higher orientation towards the agriculture sector, with the sector receiving a higher share of government spending relative to its contribution to economic value-added.
- An AOI equal to 1 reflects neutrality in a government’s orientation to the agriculture sector.
- An AOI less than 1 reflects a lower orientation to agriculture.
At the global level, the AOI has remained relatively stable over the past decades. There is no globally set target for this index. At a regional level, it has increased markedly in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. According to the FAO, the increase is primarily driven by developments in China.
B. Aid to the agricultural sector
Total official development flows to the agricultural sector have increased in absolute volume since 2000, though its share of total aid flows has decreased from around 25% in the mid-1980s to around 5% in 2019. According to the UN SDG status report, the shift is largely caused by increasing aid flows toward social sectors.
Target 2.b
Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round
Indicators:
| 2.b.1 | Agricultural export subsidies |
In late 2015 WTO members agreed to eliminate all forms of agricultural export subsidies. Developed countries were to immediately abandon them, while developing countries had until the end of 2018. Data from the WTO show that the level of subsidies has been drastically reduced over the past years.
While no evaluation is given on a country-level basis, the OECD points out in its analysis of this SDG target that when looking at a broad range of measures of agricultural support:
Two-thirds of support to farmers is provided through measures that strongly distort farm business decisions - thereby distorting global agricultural production and trade.
Target 2.c
Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility
Indicators:
| 2.c.1 | Indicator of food price anomalies |
The indicator of food price anomalies (IFPA) aims to capture instances of high or moderately high food prices.
According to the IFPA, over 47% of all countries worldwide experienced high or moderately high food prices in 2020, as food prices rose rapidly during the second half of 2020. At a regional level, all regions saw an increase in countries experiencing food price anomalies.
Note that international data for this indicator is not available yet for 2021 when prices reached record levels.
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About the data
The data presented on global and regional trends are from the UN SDG Global Database.
Changelog
- First release November 2022