Under Lula, Brazil achieves the lowest hunger rate in history.

247 - In a remarkable advance in the fight against hunger, Brazil reached, in 2024, the lowest food insecurity rate in its history, surpassing a mark established in 2013. According to data released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) this Friday (10), the country celebrated the reduction of severe food insecurity, which went from 4,1% to 3,2% between 2023 and 2024. These numbers indicate that, in the space of a year, more than two million people left the condition of hunger.

The research, which is part of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (Ebia) applied in the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNADc), also revealed progress in other levels of food security. In 2024, the percentage of households with food security increased from 72,4% to 75,8%, meaning that 8,8 million people gained guaranteed access to food on a regular basis. For Wellington Dias, Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger (MDS), this achievement is historic. "In 2025, Brazil celebrates two historic achievements: leaving the Hunger Map and reducing severe food insecurity to the lowest level in the IBGE's historical series," Dias celebrated.

The significant reduction in hunger in Brazil is the result of a series of public policies that, according to the minister, were built over two years, compared to the ten years it took to achieve the goal in the previous decade. Valéria Burity, Extraordinary Secretary for Combating Poverty and Hunger at the MDS (Ministry of Social Development), also analyzed the data with optimism. "The data released by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) points in the same direction as the FAO/UN Hunger Map and reinforces the evidence that hunger is decreasing rapidly in Brazil," stated Burity.

Public policies for reducing hunger

Since 2023, Brazil has been advancing with the Brazil Without Hunger Plan, which aims to guarantee food security for the entire population. With more than 80 actions and over 100 goals, the plan seeks, among other things, to increase families' disposable income for food purchases, expand the production of healthy and sustainable food, and improve access to information and social protection policies. Valéria Burity highlighted that the plan consolidated an efficient emergency strategy for reducing hunger, pointing out that, between 2019 and 2022, more than 26 million people left the condition of severe food insecurity.

Brazil and the Hunger Map

In an international milestone, Brazil also celebrated its exit from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Hunger Map in July of this year. The country's removal from the map was made possible by reducing the prevalence rate of undernourishment to less than 2,5% of the population. This victory is seen as the result of decades of work and commitment from the government and various social entities to eradicate hunger in the country.

Categories of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (Ebia)

The IBGE study uses the EBIA (Brazilian Food Intake Index) to classify the food conditions of households. Among the categories are:

• Food securityRegular and adequate access to food, without worrying about future restrictions.
• Mild food insecurityConcern about access to food and reducing quality so as not to affect quantity.
• Moderate food insecurityPoor quality and reduced quantity of food among adults.
• severe food insecurityFood shortages, affecting even those under 18, with hunger experienced at home.