Food Price Inflation: A Driving Force Behind Hunger
The 2025 SOFI Report identifies food price inflation as one of the most significant and persistent drivers of hunger globally. While the world has seen some economic recovery since the pandemic, that recovery has been deeply unequal—particularly for Low Income Countries, where the cost of food continues to rise faster than wages.
In Low Income Countries, households typically spend a substantial share of their income on food. When prices rise, there is little to no margin to absorb the cost—families are forced to make impossible choices between quantity and quality, or between food and other essentials like healthcare and education.
“In Zambia today, hunger is no longer just about food scarcity,” said Samuel Mutambo, Country Leader for The Hunger Project–Zambia. “As food prices soar, over 48% of Zambian households now face moderate to severe food insecurity—making hunger a direct consequence of economic fragility, not just agricultural shortfalls.”
In these contexts, food price inflation—peaking at 30% in 2023—has significantly eroded household purchasing power, especially in rural areas. Smallholder farmers, who are often net food buyers themselves, face rising input costs and shrinking access to nutritious foods. As a result, inflation doesn’t just make food more expensive—it deepens existing inequalities and drives hunger, particularly among women and children, who are often last to eat and first to suffer in times of scarcity.
