Translated with AI
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released a new report on food security and nutrition in Europe and Central Asia. Despite significant progress in the fight against hunger in the region, experts note persistent challenges related to inequality in access to quality nutrition, rising food costs, rising adult obesity, and the increasing number of overweight children, the UN press service reported.
According to the report, the prevalence of undernourishment in the region has remained below the 2.5% threshold since 2006. This figure is significantly lower than the global average, which stood at 8.2% in 2024. However, Central Asia remains the only subregion in Europe and Central Asia where the prevalence of undernourishment exceeds this threshold. In 2023 and 2024, it stood at 2.8%.
FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative Viorel Guțu noted that countries in Europe and Central Asia have made significant progress in strengthening food security. However, he noted that issues related to nutritional quality and the development of nutritious diets remain unresolved. Increased food costs, uneven access to nutritious food, and persistent disparities between subregions require concerted efforts to achieve a world without hunger.
The report places particular emphasis on access to healthy diets. According to FAO, 59.6 million people in the region could not afford a healthy diet in 2024. This is 3.1 million fewer than the previous year. However, significant disparities remain between subregions. The situation is most severe in the Caucasus, where 15% of the population lacks access to adequate nutrition. Central Asia ranks second, with 14% of the population unable to afford a healthy diet.
Child nutrition indicators reveal a mixed picture. The prevalence of stunting among children under five in 2024 was 4.6%, significantly lower than the global average of 23.2%. In those subregions for which data are available, the rate of child wasting was also significantly lower than the global average.
At the same time, the region continues to face the problem of childhood overweight. In 2024, the proportion of children under five who were overweight reached 7.5%, compared to the global average of 5.5%.
The report's authors also note the steady increase in the prevalence of obesity among adults. While 16.7% of adults in Europe and Central Asia were obese in 2000, by 2022 this figure had increased to 22.6%. For comparison, the global average is 15.8%. In almost all countries in the region for which data are available, the adult obesity rate in 2022 was higher than it was ten years earlier.
Anemia remains a problem among women aged 15 to 49. According to the report, the prevalence of this condition increased from 17.6% in 2012 to 21.3% in 2023. Although the rate remains below the global average of 30.7%, in Central Asia and the Caucasus it already slightly exceeds the global average.
FAO emphasizes that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030 requires a consistent and coordinated transformation of agricultural and food systems. The organization believes it is essential to expand access to healthy and affordable diets, strengthen the resilience of food systems to various shocks, and ensure that public policies take into account the interests of the most vulnerable groups, including smallholder farmers, women, and youth.
The organization notes that the published report is intended to support governments, international partners, civil society representatives, and the private sector in accelerating the achievement of the goals of creating a region free of hunger.
