Acute Hunger and Child Malnutrition Surge for Sixth Year Amidst Funding Decline

According to the report, 295.6 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger in 2024—a sharp increase of 13.7 million from the previous year.

In 2024, acute food insecurity and child malnutrition escalated dramatically for the sixth year in a row, placing nearly 300 million people on the edge of survival in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. The Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), released today by the Global Network Against Food Crises, underscores a dire humanitarian trajectory driven by conflict, economic upheaval, climate extremes, and mass displacement.

According to the report, 295.6 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger in 2024—a sharp increase of 13.7 million from the previous year. This alarming number represents over 22.6% of the assessed population, reinforcing an unsettling trend where acute food insecurity remains persistently high, now for a fifth consecutive year above the 20% threshold.

The Human Toll: Catastrophic Hunger and Child Malnutrition

One of the most disturbing revelations in the report is the doubling of people in IPC/CH Phase 5—Catastrophe conditions—to 1.9 million individuals, marking the highest level since the GRFC began monitoring in 2016. These individuals face imminent starvation and death without urgent and comprehensive intervention.

Child malnutrition remains another critical indicator of this worsening crisis. Nearly 38 million children under the age of five were acutely malnourished across 26 countries experiencing nutritional emergencies. The situation is particularly dire in conflict-ridden and displaced regions like the Gaza Strip, Mali, Sudan, and Yemen, where access to food and basic healthcare is severely limited.

Mass Displacement Amplifies Hunger

The intersection of displacement and hunger has become more pronounced. In 2024, an estimated 95 million forcibly displaced individuals—including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers—were living in food crisis settings. This is part of a larger total of 128 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, with critical concentrations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Sudan, and Syria.

The implications are staggering: families forced from their homes by violence or climate disasters are also confronting the devastating challenge of food scarcity, often without sustainable support systems or adequate humanitarian aid.

Driving Factors Behind the Crisis

Conflict remains the most significant cause of acute food insecurity, impacting approximately 140 million people in 20 countries. War and civil strife continue to obliterate food systems, cut off humanitarian aid, and uproot millions. Countries like Sudan, where famine conditions have now been declared, and others such as South Sudan, Haiti, and the Gaza Strip, are among the worst affected.

Economic shocks, including inflation and currency devaluation, are the second major driver, affecting nearly 59.4 million people across 15 countries. In nations like Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan, and Syria, the collapse of markets and surging food prices have severely limited household purchasing power, pushing more families into food insecurity.

Climate extremes, particularly El Niño-induced droughts and floods, have also played a key role in intensifying hunger in 18 countries, affecting over 96 million people. Devastating droughts in Southern Africa, erratic monsoon patterns in Southern Asia, and cyclical floods in the Horn of Africa have severely disrupted crop production and livestock survival.

Funding Collapse Threatens Future Response

The 2024 report also warns that these crises are unfolding at a time when humanitarian funding is collapsing. The Global Network anticipates the largest cut in funding for food and nutrition crises since the GRFC began its annual reviews. This funding gap comes amid rising needs, hampering emergency responses and long-term food system investments.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning: “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.”

A Call for Action: Breaking the Cycle

To address these escalating challenges, the report calls for a bold reset of global food crisis responses. This involves shifting from reactive humanitarian assistance to proactive, resilience-focused investments. It urges donor governments and global institutions to:

• Scale up proven interventions that stabilize food access.

• Invest in local agriculture, especially in regions where up to 70% of rural households depend on farming for livelihood.

• Strengthen integrated nutrition services, targeting both children and mothers.

• Center local voices and needs, ensuring that affected communities drive and shape their recovery.

The GRFC emphasizes that only by addressing the root causes of hunger—conflict, inequality, fragile food systems, and environmental degradation—can the cycle of rising food insecurity be reversed.

Looking Ahead: A Bleak 2025 Outlook

Without urgent intervention and increased global solidarity, the situation is poised to worsen in 2025. Conflict zones show no signs of resolution, and climate models forecast continued weather volatility. The projected decline in humanitarian assistance may further tip fragile communities over the edge, ushering in deeper hunger and preventable suffering.

The GRFC's findings are a clarion call for international unity, policy change, and immediate resource mobilization. The time to act is now—before another year adds more millions to the tragic toll of global hunger.