GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME/WASHINGTON D.C., USA – The recently released Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) shows that acute food insecurity and child malnutrition increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, straining millions of people in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas.
According to the research, numerous previously vulnerable regions have suffered greatly as a result of food insecurity and malnutrition caused by conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes, and forced relocation.
In 2024, severe hunger affected over 295 million people in 53 countries and territories, a 13.7 million rise from 2023. The rising incidence of acute food insecurity, which currently affects 22.6% of the population surveyed, is quite concerning. This percentage has stayed above 20% for the fifth year in a row.
Over the same period, the number of people experiencing catastrophic hunger (IPC/CH Phase 5) more than doubled to 1.9 million, the largest amount since the GRFC started keeping count in 2016.
Extremely high rates of malnutrition, especially in children, were observed in Yemen, Sudan, Mali, and the Gaza Strip. There were 26 nutrition crises, resulting in about 38 million children under five suffering from severe malnutrition.
The report also notes a dramatic rise in hunger brought on by forced displacement, with nearly 95 million of the world’s 128 million forcibly displaced people—including internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers—living in nations experiencing food crises like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Sudan, and Syria.
“This Global Report on Food Crises is another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “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.”
What experts think about the Global Report on Food Crises
Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, observed that 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,” Catherine said.
On her part, Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, indicated that this year’s Global Report on Food Crises paints yet another stark and unacceptable picture of rising hunger.
Hadja reiterated that this is not merely a call to action — it is a moral imperative coming at a time when funding cuts are straining the humanitarian system.
She reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to fighting 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.”
QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO, said the global body is cognisant 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.
“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.”
Key drivers of acute food insecurity and malnutrition:
- Conflict remained the top driver of acute food insecurity, affecting around 140 million people in 20 countries and territories. Famine has been confirmed in Sudan, while other hotspots with people experiencing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity include the Gaza Strip, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali.
- Economic shocks, including inflation and currency devaluation, drove hunger in 15 countries, affecting 59.4 million people, still nearly double pre-COVID-19 levels despite a modest decline from 2023. Some of the largest and most protracted food crises were primarily driven by economic shocks, including in Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen.
- Weather extremes, particularly El Niño-induced droughts and floods, pushed 18 countries into food crises affecting over 96 million people, with significant impacts in Southern Africa, Southern Asia, and the Horn of Africa.
According to the GRFC outlook, hunger shocks will likely persist into 2025, as the Global Network anticipates the most significant reduction in humanitarian funding for food and nutrition crises in the report’s history.
While also reacting to the report, Alvaro Lario, president of IFAD, said the document 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.”
Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR, observed that people who have been displaced show remarkable strength, but resilience alone can’t end hunger.
“As food insecurity worsens and humanitarian crises worsen, 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.”
For Axel van Trotsenburg, senior managing director for development policy and partnerships at the World Bank, the global hunger crisis threatens not just lives but the stability and potential of entire societies.
“What is needed now is collective action to build a future free of hunger.”
Cindy McCain, executive director of WFP, noted that like every other humanitarian organisation, WFP is facing deep budget shortfalls, which have forced drastic cuts to our food assistance programs.
“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,” Cindy explained.
Call for a bold reset to break the cycle of food crises.
Acute food insecurity and malnutrition have increased to record levels, yet global funding is experiencing its fastest decline in years, and political momentum is weakening.
Breaking the cycle of rising hunger and malnutrition requires a bold reset—one that prioritises 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.
Beyond emergency aid, the Global Network Against Food Crises recommends investing in local food systems and integrated nutrition services to address long-term vulnerabilities and build resilience to shocks, especially in crisis-prone regions where 70% of rural households rely on agriculture for sustenance and livelihood.
