Tackling Global Malnutrition and Hunger in the Final Push Toward the 2030 Agenda

Abstract

Global malnutrition and hunger represent crises of alarming magnitude, threatening progress toward all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition are complex and interconnected, including conflict, climate change, migration, population aging, and the erosion of social capital. Despite some progress in specific areas, current trends reveal insufficient advancement toward key global nutrition and diet-related, non-communicable disease targets, confirming the persistent double burden of malnutrition. Without urgent, multisectoral action—including investments in integrated nutrition policies, resilient food systems, and conflict resolution—the goal of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 remains unlikely. The World Food Program estimates that in 2025, 319 million people will face acute food insecurity; if current trends persist, approximately 582 million people could still be chronically undernourished by 2030. Furthermore, overweight and obesity are projected to continue rising globally, with adult obesity prevalence expected to reach 19.8% in 2030. This narrative review synthesizes current global trends in malnutrition—both undernutrition and overnutrition—and food insecurity; it explores the root causes driving these crises and analyzes the scientific literature to inform future research in the critical years leading up to the 2030 Agenda deadline. It calls for coordinated global efforts that prioritize vulnerable populations, which are essential to reversing the current trajectory of malnutrition and hunger. Since nutrition is a fundamental component of sustainable development, achieving the SDG 2 targets is essential to the accomplishment of all 17 goals.