Acute global hunger surged for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, reaching the highest levels since international tracking began, according to the newly released 2025 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC). Published by the Food Security Information Network, the report found that 295 million people across 53 countries and territories experienced acute food insecurity last year—an increase of 13.7 million compared to 2023. For the fifth year in a row, more than 20 percent of the assessed population was classified as food insecure.
“This Global Report on Food Crises is another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course,” wrote United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in the report’s foreword. “Long-standing crises are now being compounded by another, more recent one: the dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding to respond to these needs. This is more than a failure of systems – it is a failure of humanity. Hunger in the 21st century is indefensible. We cannot respond to empty stomachs with empty hands and turned backs.”
The number of people experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger—designated as IPC/CH Phase 5—more than doubled to 1.9 million in 2024, the highest recorded since the GRFC began tracking global food crises in 2016. These conditions, which include famine and starvation, were concentrated in countries facing overlapping crises such as Sudan, the Gaza Strip, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali.
In the words of Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, “In a world of plenty, there is no excuse for children to go hungry or die of malnutrition. Hunger gnaws at the stomach of a child. It gnaws, too, at their dignity, their sense of safety, and their future. How can we continue to stand by when there is more than enough food to feed every hungry child in the world? How can we ignore what is happening in front of our eyes? Millions of children’s lives hang in the balance as funding is slashed to critical nutrition services.”
Nearly 38 million children under the age of five were acutely malnourished in 2024, particularly in regions affected by conflict and economic collapse. The crisis reached devastating levels in Gaza, Sudan, Mali, and Yemen. In total, 26 countries were identified as having active nutrition emergencies.
Forced displacement has exacerbated the hunger crisis. According to the report, nearly 95 million forcibly displaced people—including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons—are living in countries experiencing food crises, out of 128 million displaced individuals worldwide. Many of these displaced populations reside in fragile regions like Sudan, Syria, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“People who have been displaced show remarkable strength, but resilience alone can’t end hunger,” said Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at the UNHCR. “As food insecurity worsens and humanitarian crises become more prolonged, we need to shift from emergency aid to sustainable responses. That means creating real opportunities—access to land, livelihoods, markets and services—so people can feed themselves and their families, not just today, but well into the future.”
The report identifies three core drivers of the worsening food crisis: conflict, economic shocks, and extreme weather events.
Armed conflict remains the leading cause of acute food insecurity, affecting approximately 140 million people in 20 countries and territories. Economic instability, including inflation and currency devaluation, drove hunger in 15 countries, impacting 59.4 million people—nearly double the pre-COVID-19 levels. Some of the most protracted food crises, such as in Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, and Yemen, are primarily the result of persistent economic shocks.
Climate extremes pushed 18 countries into crisis in 2024, affecting over 96 million people. Droughts and floods driven by El Niño patterns devastated agricultural systems across southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, and southern Asia. These environmental disruptions compounded food insecurity in already fragile areas, decimating crop yields and livestock while reducing access to clean water and nutrition.
Despite the scale of the crisis, global funding for food and nutrition assistance is plummeting. The GRFC warns that 2025 will see the steepest decline in humanitarian funding since the report’s inception. Humanitarian agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP) have already enacted significant cutbacks in food assistance.
“Like every other humanitarian organization, WFP is facing deep budget shortfalls which have forced drastic cuts to our food assistance programs,” said Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the WFP. “Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide. We have tried and tested solutions to hunger and food insecurity. But we need the support of our donors and partners to implement them.”
Hadja Lahbib, the European Union’s commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, issued a stark warning: “This year’s Global Report on Food Crises paints yet another stark and unacceptable picture of rising hunger. This is not merely a call to action — it is a moral imperative. At a time when funding cuts are straining the humanitarian system, we reaffirm our commitment to fight global hunger. We will not abandon the most vulnerable, especially in fragile and conflict-affected countries. We will continue to champion and defend International Humanitarian Law. Today’s challenges are greater than ever — but so is our solidarity. Now is the time to act with unity and resolve, and to prove that even in the hardest times, humanity can and will rise to the challenge.”
The report calls for a “bold reset” in global food and nutrition strategy. Instead of relying solely on emergency food aid, the Global Network Against Food Crises urges investment in long-term, localized solutions—particularly in rural areas where 70 percent of households depend on agriculture. These include integrated nutrition services, land access, climate-resilient farming techniques, and the strengthening of local markets.
“As we launch the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, we are cognizant that acute food insecurity is not just a crisis – it is a constant reality for millions of people, most of whom live in rural areas,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “The path forward is clear: investment in emergency agriculture is critical, not just as a response, but as the most cost-effective solution to deliver significant long-lasting impact.”
Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, emphasized the importance of linking humanitarian and development efforts. “The report makes clear that humanitarian responses must go hand-in-hand with investments in rural development and resilience building to create long-term stability that lasts beyond emergency interventions. Rural communities – especially smallholder farmers – are central to food security, resilience, and growth. This is even more true in fragile settings.”
The GRFC outlook for 2025 predicts ongoing hunger shocks as political momentum wanes and funding continues to decline. In a world producing more than enough food to feed everyone, experts argue the crisis is not about scarcity—but priorities.
Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships at the World Bank, said, “The global hunger crisis threatens not just lives, but the stability and potential of entire societies. What is needed now is collective action so we can build a future free of hunger.”
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