More than 295 million people faced acute hunger in 2024, with “dark” prospects due to reductions in financing help efforts.
Global Hunger reached a new summit last year with the prospects of 2025 “dark”, according to a report supported by the United Nations.
Acute food insecurity and children’s malnutrition increased for a sixth consecutive year in 2024, affecting more than 295 million people in 53 countries and territories, the 2025 global report on food crises (GFRC), published on Friday, warned.
Conflicts, extreme weather conditions and economic shocks have been identified as the main engines.
The report, which provides its analysis thanks to an effort to collaborate with the United Nations agencies, declares that the increase in hunger levels of 5% compared to 2023 was the sixth consequence.
Overall, 22.6% of the populations in the most affected regions experienced hunger in terms of the crisis or worse.
The conflict was the main cause of hunger, affecting nearly 140 million people in 20 countries in 2024, including areas confronted with “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity in Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali. Sudan has confirmed the famine conditions.
Economic shocks, such as inflation and devaluation of money, helped to push 59.4 million people to food crises in 15 countries, including Syria and Yemen.
Extreme weather conditions, in particular droughts and floods induced by El Nino, have withdrawn 18 countries in crisis, affecting more than 96 million people, in particular in southern Africa, South Asia and Africa horn.
‘Empty stomachs, empty hands, returns”
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the report as the “unshakable indictment of a dangerously outdated world”.
“From Gaza and Sudan to Yemen and Mali, catastrophic hunger motivated by conflicts and other factors reaches record peaks, pushing households on the verge of famine,” said Guterres.
“It is more than a failure of the 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 our backs,” he added.
Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen were among countries with the greatest number of people and the highest share of their populations faced with acute food insecurity.
The report revealed that “the number of people faced with high levels of almost tripled acute food insecurity” in 2024.
In addition, 26 countries with a strong acute food crisis have also been detected as having a nutritional crisis.
Middle East and North Africa
Sudan, Yemen, Mali and Palestine had to face the “most serious nutritional crises” last year.
In July 2024, famine was confirmed in the Zamzam camp north of Darfur in Sudan. It was then identified in four other regions of the country from October to November and “five others (zones) from December 2024 to May 2025”.
In Palestine, while famine was projected in March 2024, it was avoided due to a scaling of humanitarian aid. However, while the war in Gaza continues and the Israeli aid blockade remains, the report has revealed that “acute food insecurity, malnutrition and mortality” should succeed in famine by September.
Food insecurity was held in 15 countries, including Ukraine, Kenya and Guatemala, last year due to updated humanitarian aid, an improvement in crops, inflation and a drop in conflicts.
However, the report warned that the prospects are dark, as the main donor countries have considerably reduced humanitarian funding.
