Global Hunger Rises for 6th Consecutive Year in a ‘World Dangerously off Course’: UN Report

Acute global food insecurity rose for the sixth year in a row in 2024, according to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), a collaborative effort coordinated by the Food Security Information Network.

The report shows that climate extremes, conflict, forced displacement and economic shocks continue to drive malnutrition and food insecurity around the world, with disastrous impacts on those living in many of the most vulnerable regions in the world.

“This Global Report on Food Crises is another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in the foreword to the report. “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.”

More than 295 million people in 53 nations and territories were faced with acute hunger in 2024, the report said — an increase of 13.7 million compared to the previous year. At the same time, the number of those facing “catastrophic levels” of hunger rose to a record high.

One of the biggest concerns is worsening acute food insecurity, which impacts 22.6 percent of the world’s population assessed in the report. Last year was the fifth year in a row the figure has been over 20 percent.

Those facing catastrophic hunger have more than doubled to 1.9 million people — the most since GRFC tracking began in 2016.

Malnutrition — especially among children — climbed to extremely high levels in places like the Gaza Strip, Sudan, Mali and Yemen, with almost 38 million children below the age of five acutely malnourished.

“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,” said Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, in a press release from World Food Program USA.

The report highlights a steep increase in forced displacement-driven hunger. Nearly 95 million people — including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons — who have been forcibly displaced are living in nations like Sudan, Syria, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo that are facing food crises, out of a total of 128 million around the world who have been forcibly displaced.

“People who have been displaced show remarkable strength, but resilience alone can’t end hunger. 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,” said Raouf Mazou, assistant high commissioner for operations at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The main driver of acute food insecurity was conflict, which affects approximately 140 million living in 20 countries and territories.

Hunger in 15 countries was driven by inflation, currency devaluation and other economic shocks, affecting 59.4 million people.

Weather extremes — especially drought and floods influenced by El Niño — pushed 18 nations into food crises, with significant impacts in southern Asia, the Horn of Africa and southern Africa.

The GRFC outlook predicts hunger shocks are likely to persist into 2025. It is expected that humanitarian food and nutrition funding will experience its most significant reduction in the history of the report.

As people suffer from record levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, global funding is declining at the fastest rate in years, while political momentum weakens.

“Breaking the cycle of rising hunger and malnutrition requires a bold reset – one that prioritizes evidence-driven and impact-focused action. This means pooling resources, scaling what works and putting the needs and voices of affected communities at the heart of every response,” World Food Program USA said in the press release.

To build resilience to shocks and address long-term vulnerabilities, the Global Network Against Food Crises recommended making investments in integrated nutrition services and local food systems, particularly in regions prone to crises where a significant number — 70 percent — of rural households are reliant on agriculture for their livelihoods and sustenance.

“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,” said Hadja Lahbib, the European Union’s commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management. “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.”