Hunger across the globe surged to its highest point in recent years, with projections for 2025 showing no signs of improvement, according to a United Nations-supported report released on Friday.
The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) revealed that in 2024, severe food insecurity and child malnutrition increased for the sixth consecutive year. More than 295 million people in 53 countries and regions were affected.
Key contributors to the worsening crisis included armed conflict, extreme weather events, and economic instability, the report said. The findings are the result of a joint effort among multiple UN agencies and partners.
The report recorded a 5% increase in hunger levels compared to 2023, with nearly one in four people in the hardest-hit regions experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse.
Conflict Tops the List of Hunger Drivers
Violence and warfare were the most significant causes of hunger, impacting almost 140 million people in 20 nations last year. Critical situations were identified in Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali—areas that are enduring catastrophic levels of food scarcity. Sudan has officially entered famine conditions.
Economic hardships, including inflation and devaluation of local currencies, pushed another 59.4 million people into food crises in 15 nations, such as Syria and Yemen.
Meanwhile, climate-related disasters—driven largely by El Niño—led to droughts and flooding that devastated crops and livelihoods in 18 countries. These environmental extremes affected more than 96 million people across Southern Africa, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa.
UN Chief Calls Hunger Crisis a Moral Failure
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the rising hunger as a stark indictment of current global priorities.
“From Gaza and Sudan to Yemen and Mali, record-breaking hunger fueled by conflict and other forces is pushing families toward starvation,” Guterres said. “This isn’t just a breakdown of systems—it’s a failure of compassion. In our modern age, hunger is unacceptable. Empty stomachs cannot be met with empty promises or turned backs.”
Countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen were listed among those facing the worst levels of food insecurity both in absolute numbers and relative to population size.
The report highlighted that the number of people experiencing severe food crises nearly tripled in 2024. Additionally, 26 of the most affected nations were also battling widespread malnutrition.
Middle East and North Africa Among the Most Affected Regions
Sudan, Yemen, Mali, and the occupied Palestinian territories experienced the most severe nutritional emergencies last year. Famine was officially declared in Sudan’s ZamZam camp in North Darfur in July 2024, with more areas added through May 2025.
In Gaza, famine warnings issued in March 2024 were briefly avoided due to increased humanitarian assistance. However, with ongoing conflict and restrictions on aid deliveries, the report warned that hunger, malnutrition, and death rates could reach famine levels by September 2025.
Despite these grim statistics, there were modest improvements in 15 countries—including Ukraine, Kenya, and Guatemala—thanks to better harvests, lower inflation, decreased conflict, and scaled-up humanitarian support.
However, the report cautioned that the situation may deteriorate further as many major donor nations have significantly reduced their financial contributions to relief efforts.
Source: Aljazeera
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