Phenomena such as El Niño, floods, and droughts have particularly affected Southern Africa, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa.
Global Report on Food Crises 2024 highlights alarming hunger trends
Acute food insecurity and child malnutrition are on the rise for the sixth year in a row, according to a newly released United Nations report. In the most vulnerable regions of the world, millions are on the brink of catastrophe. The report identifies extreme weather events, armed conflicts, economic shocks, and forced population displacement as the key drivers of the global food crisis.
In 2024, more than 295 million people across 53 countries and territories experienced acute hunger, up from 282 million in 2023. According to the research, 22.6% of the assessed population faced acute food insecurity. For the fifth consecutive year, that percentage has remained above 20%. Malnutrition has reached severe levels, particularly affecting children in the Gaza Strip, Mali, Sudan, and Yemen. Nearly 38 million children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition. Researchers identified 26 major food crises worldwide.
Malnutrition linked to extreme weather events
Extreme weather events alone affected 18 countries, with 96 million people experiencing severe food insecurity. Phenomena such as El Niño, floods, and droughts have particularly impacted Southern Africa, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa. In 2024, both flooding and warfare limited access to basic services, increasing health risks especially in displacement camps. The number of people going hungry more than doubled last year, reaching 1.9 million—the highest figure since the UN began issuing this report in 2016.
“Hunger is not a short-term emergency confined to certain corners of the globe,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. “It is becoming a scar etched into the lives of millions of people around the world. Food crises driven by conflict, geopolitical tensions, environmental vulnerabilities, and climate chaos are shaping the quality of life not just for weeks or months, but for years, even lifetimes.”
Read the 2024 Global Report on Food Crises.
