A UN-backed report released on May 16, 2025, by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), including contributions from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), reveals that global acute hunger reached a new high in 2024, with over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories facing acute food insecurity—an increase of nearly 14 million from 2023. The outlook for 2025 is described as “bleak” due to escalating conflicts, climate crises, economic shocks, and declining humanitarian aid. Below is a detailed summary based on the report and related sources.
Key Findings from the 2024 Global Report on Food Crises
- Scale of the Crisis:
- 295+ million people faced acute food insecurity in 2024, up from 281.6 million in 2023 across 59 countries.
- 38 million children under five were acutely malnourished, exacerbating long-term health and development issues.
- 1.9 million people were on the brink of famine, primarily in Gaza and Sudan, with pockets in South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali. Famine was confirmed in Zamzam camp, North Darfur, Sudan.
- Catastrophic Hunger (IPC/CH Phase 5): Around 500,000 people—one in five in Gaza—faced starvation, with Gaza’s entire population experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.
- Primary Drivers:
- Conflict: The leading cause, affecting 65% of the 343 million people facing acute hunger in fragile or conflict-hit countries. Conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, and parts of Africa and Asia disrupted food production, displaced populations, and restricted humanitarian access.
- Climate Crises: The La Niña weather pattern (November 2024–March 2025) is expected to worsen food insecurity through floods in countries like Nigeria, South Sudan, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and droughts in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
- Economic Shocks: High food prices and economic instability, compounded by market failures costing the global food system $10 trillion annually, pushed millions into poverty. A 1% rise in global food prices adds 10 million people to extreme poverty.
- Humanitarian Funding Decline: 2023 marked the first drop in humanitarian funding since 2010, limiting aid delivery despite 2024 being the second-highest funding year ever.
- Regional Hotspots:
- Sudan: Faces a hunger crisis unmatched since the early 2000s Darfur crisis, driven by war between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces, deliberate destruction of food systems, and aid blockades.
- Gaza: Nearly the entire population faces crisis-level food insecurity, with famine likely occurring due to ongoing conflict and blockades.
- Africa: 20.4% of the population faces hunger, with countries like Somalia, Chad, Burundi, Madagascar, South Sudan, and Yemen at “alarming” hunger levels.
- Asia: Stable at 8.1% hunger prevalence but home to over half the world’s hungry due to its population size.
- Latin America: Progress with 6.2% hunger prevalence, though Haiti remains a critical hotspot.
2025 Outlook: Why It’s Bleak
- Worsening Hunger Hotspots: The report identifies 22 countries/territories where acute food insecurity is expected to rise from November 2024 to May 2025, including Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Palestine, Haiti, Chad, Lebanon, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Syria, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, and Niger.
- Persistent Conflict: Escalating violence, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, continues to displace populations and disrupt food supply chains.
- Climate Impacts: La Niña-induced floods and droughts threaten fragile food systems, with severe consequences for already vulnerable regions.
- Funding Shortfalls: WFP’s 2025 operational requirement is $16.9 billion to reach 123 million people, but declining global aid budgets hinder response efforts.
- Long-Term Projections: Without bold interventions, 950 million people could face severe food insecurity by 2030, far from the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger. Low hunger levels may not be achieved globally until 2160.
Proposed Solutions
The report and related sources emphasize transformative actions to address root causes:
- Peacebuilding: Conflict resolution and humanitarian ceasefires are critical to restore food production and aid access. FAO’s Qu Dongyu stressed, “Peace is a prerequisite for food security.”
- Climate Adaptation: Investments in climate-resilient agriculture and insurance programs, like WFP’s R4 Rural Resilience initiative, which has benefited 550,000 households across 18 countries, are vital.
- Economic Support: Addressing market inefficiencies and stabilizing food prices could mitigate the $10 trillion in hidden costs within global food systems.
- Data Innovations: Enhanced forecasting through tools like the World Food Security Outlook can improve aid allocation and crisis response.
- Gender Justice: Addressing gender inequalities, as women and girls are hardest hit by food crises, is key to building resilient food systems.
- Increased Funding: WFP and FAO urge global leaders to scale up financial and technical support to prevent mass hunger-related mortality.
Critical Perspective
The report underscores a troubling paradox: despite global resources, hunger persists due to “manmade” crises like conflict and systemic inequalities. The stagnation in progress since 2016, coupled with a 15-year regression in undernourishment levels (comparable to 2008–2009), highlights failures in global governance and aid prioritization. The reliance on humanitarian aid without addressing structural issues—such as debt crises, poor governance, and climate inaction—risks perpetuating the cycle of hunger. Moreover, the report’s focus on conflict as the primary driver may underplay the role of economic policies and corporate control over food systems, which exacerbate inequalities and price volatility.
Relevance to Meloni’s Summit
The Rome summit hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on April 26, 2025, with leaders like Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen, Keir Starmer, and Donald Tusk, indirectly ties to the hunger crisis through its focus on Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has disrupted global food supply chains, contributing to price spikes and food insecurity in vulnerable regions. While the summit centered on peace negotiations, its exclusion of Emmanuel Macron and lack of explicit mention of food security suggest it wasn’t directly addressing the hunger crisis. However, Meloni’s push for transatlantic unity and peace could align with calls for conflict resolution to mitigate one of the primary drivers of acute hunger.
Conclusion
The 2024 Global Report on Food Crises paints a dire picture: acute hunger hit a record 295 million people, driven by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability, with a “bleak” outlook for 2025. Urgent action—peacebuilding, climate adaptation, economic reforms, and increased funding—is needed to reverse this trajectory. Without it, the world is on track to miss Zero Hunger by centuries. For deeper insights into specific regions or solutions, share your focus area, and I can dive further!
Sources: Global Network Against Food Crises, FAO, WFP, Global Hunger Index 2024, World Bank, The Guardian, X posts.
