Progress, with a substantial unmet need
SOFI 2026 estimates that approximately 645 million people experienced hunger in 2025, or 7.8% of the global population. About 2.1 billion experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, a broader, overlapping measure.
The same edition places hunger prevalence at 8.1% in 2024 and 7.8% in 2025. Report editions revise earlier estimates; charts need to use a consistent edition. These population figures provide context, rather than a measure of WAB’s impact.
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH · 2024–2025 · SOFI 2026
Global hunger: the latest measured change
Global population; prevalence of undernourishment.
| Measure | % of global population |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 8.1 |
| 2025 | 7.8 |
World. The two observations use the same SOFI 2026 edition, which revises earlier estimates. No forecast or extrapolation. Food insecurity is a broader, overlapping measure.
FAO · SOFI 2026 findingsThe chain is only as strong as its connections
A farmer needs inputs before planting. A processor needs dependable supply. A warehouse needs quality control and power. A transporter needs capacity and working capital. A buyer needs affordable, acceptable goods. A weak point can reduce value across the chain.
Agricultural finance is useful when it addresses the specific constraint and a viable operating model. Financing a cold store, for example, requires evidence of throughput, energy cost, maintenance and customers. Equipment by itself does not create demand or keep food affordable.
Preserve value between harvest and retail
FAO’s weighted food-loss measure estimates 13.3% globally in 2023, with substantial regional differences. Storage, handling, grading and transport are relevant places to examine the loss of saleable produce.
The regional estimates do not predict an individual project’s loss rate. A borrower needs a commodity-specific baseline and measurement method. Consumer-stage food waste uses a different measure and must be reported separately.
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH · 2023 · FAO SDG indicator 12.3.1
Food lost before retail
Post-harvest food supply chains, excluding retail and consumption.
| Measure | % · weighted food-loss measure |
|---|---|
| World | 13.3 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 23 |
| Northern America / Europe | 10 |
| Eastern / Southeastern Asia | 13.9 |
World and indicated regions. A commodity-weighted modelled estimate. Regional and global values overlap; these are comparisons, not shares of one total. Food waste has a different scope and denominator.
FAO · Global food lossesAgricultural relationships and China’s import needs
WFA brings relationships in Beijing and across more than 50 member countries, according to the founding team’s brief. Those relationships can support origination around agricultural trade and China’s food-security imports.
Network reach creates access to conversations. Commercial volume requires a named buyer and seller, product specification, price, logistics, payment terms and applicable permits. WAB’s lending and trade decisions will require their own assessment.
Measure the point of improvement
For storage, examine loss rate, utilisation and quality rejection. For a grower, examine costs, sale proceeds and net household outcomes over comparable seasons. For trade, examine delivery, buyer acceptance and collection.
The financing record should explain what changed and how it was measured. Food security is affected by prices, policy, conflict, weather and income; a bank’s activity cannot claim every change in those wider conditions.
READ THE SOURCE
Publications and reference material
WAB development presentations · January 2025 and May 2026