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The Global Report on Food Crises 2024 reveals a record-high 295 million people suffering from acute hunger, with conflict, economic shocks, and climate change as key drivers.

Global Acute Hunger Crisis

In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries suffered from acute hunger, a sharp rise from 281.6 million in 2023. Acute hunger means people lack enough food to meet daily needs, often facing starvation or severe malnutrition.

This marks the sixth consecutive year of increasing food insecurity, according to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, a UN-backed study by international organizations and NGOs.

Key Numbers and Trends

• 1.9 million people experienced famine-like conditions, more than double the previous year’s figure.
• 140 million people suffered hunger due to conflict in 20 countries, including Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and Mali.
• 155 million people were affected by extreme weather (96 million in 18 countries) and economic shocks (59.4 million in 15 countries).
• 38 million children under five faced acute malnutrition in 26 crisis-hit regions.

The crisis worsens in hotspots like Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali, where famine looms. For example, Gaza faces a “critical risk of famine” due to an Israeli aid blockade since March 2024, with 345,000 people projected to face catastrophic hunger by September 2025. In Sudan, famine grips Zamzam camp in North Darfur, with four more areas affected since October 2024.

Why Is Hunger Rising?

Conflict and Violence

• Conflict remains the top cause, affecting 140 million people across 20 countries. Wars disrupt food production, displace families, and block aid delivery.
• In Gaza, ongoing hostilities and an aid blockade since March 2024 have left 876,000 people at emergency hunger levels.
• Sudan’s civil war has triggered famine in multiple regions, with blockades by armed groups worsening access to food. Yemen and Mali also face severe hunger due to prolonged conflicts.
• Violence not only destroys crops and livestock but also forces people to flee, cutting them off from income and markets.

Extreme Weather

• Climate shocks, like El Niño-induced droughts and floods, hit 18 countries, affecting 96 million people. Southern Africa, Southern Asia, and the Horn of Africa suffer the most. For example, droughts in Somalia and Ethiopia devastate crops, while floods in Nigeria and South Sudan destroy livelihoods.
• The looming La Niña weather pattern, expected through March 2025, threatens further damage to fragile food systems, potentially causing floods or dry spells in vulnerable regions.

Economic Shocks

• Economic challenges, such as inflation and currency devaluation, pushed 59.4 million people into hunger in 15 countries, including Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan. These shocks make food unaffordable, especially for low-income families.
• The report warns that new US tariffs and a weaker US dollar in 2025 could deepen economic uncertainty, driving food prices higher and worsening hunger globally.

Outlook “Bleak” for 2025

Funding Cuts => Humanitarian aid funding faces a steep decline, projected to drop by up to 45% in 2025. 

• The US, under President Donald Trump, has slashed over 80% of its Agency for International Development programs, while other donor countries have also reduced contributions. 
• This “abrupt termination” disrupts aid operations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.

Worsening Hotspots => The situations in Gaza, Sudan, and Myanmar deteriorate faster than improvements in places like Afghanistan and Kenya. Gaza’s aid blockade and Sudan’s expanding famine zones signal a growing crisis.

Global Food Waste => While hunger increases, one-third of global food production is lost or wasted.

Forced Displacement => Nearly 95 million displaced people, including refugees and internally displaced persons, live in food-crisis countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia, facing unique vulnerabilities like limited access to jobs or aid.

Bright Spots

In 15 countries, including Ukraine, Kenya, and Guatemala, food insecurity eased in 2024. For example, Kenya benefited from favorable rains, while Ukraine saw gains from declining conflict and aid support. These successes show that timely action can make a difference.

Recommendations made in the Report

Urgent Humanitarian Action => Restore funding to deliver food and nutrition aid to crisis zones. In Gaza, lifting the aid blockade is critical to avert famine.

Peacebuilding => Diplomatic efforts must reduce conflicts in hotspots like Sudan and Yemen to ensure safe aid access and stabilize food production.

Invest in Local Food Systems => Support local agriculture to boost food security and resilience. Evidence shows this approach helps more people at lower costs while preserving dignity.

Climate Action => Address climate shocks through early warning systems and resilient farming practices to protect vulnerable food systems from La Niña and other weather extremes.

Sustainable Development => Shift from emergency aid to long-term solutions, like providing displaced people access to land, jobs, and markets.

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Source: 

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