Chapter 1 Sustainable Development Target 2.1: undernourishment and food insecurity
In Latin America and the Caribbean undernourishment has decreased for four consecutive years, affecting 5.1 percent of the population in 2024, down from a peak of 6.1 percent in 2020.
In 2024, hunger affected 33.6 million people in the region, representing a decrease of 1.5 million people compared with 2023 and 3.5 million compared with 2022.
Despite this improvement, significant differences persist between the three subregions. South America had the lowest prevalence of hunger in 2024, estimated at 3.8 percent (16.7 million people), compared with 5 percent (9.1 million people) in Mesoamerica and 17.5 percent (7.8 million people) in the Caribbean.
South America showed the largest improvement in recent years, with a decrease of almost one percentage point between 2022 and 2024, while the prevalence remained relatively unchanged in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean in the same period.
In 2024, moderate or severe food insecurity affected 25.2 percent of the population in LAC , which is below the global estimate, and has been steadily declining for four consecutive years since peaking in 2020.
The Caribbean recorded the highest level of moderate or severe food insecurity, estimated at 51.9 percent, compared with 25.9 percent in Mesoamerica and 22.2 percent in South America.
Severe food insecurity in the region was estimated at 7.8 percent in 2024, below the global estimate of 10.1 percent, representing a decrease of 3.7 percentage points since 2021, when it reached its highest value.
In total, 167.2 million people in the region faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024, 50 million fewer than in 2021.
The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was 5.3 percentage points higher among women than among men in 2024. While this gender gap remains the highest across all regions globally, it has decreased in recent years.