• Over 295 million people are suffering from acute hunger in 2024, marking a sixth consecutive annual rise.
• Conflict, economic shocks, and extreme weather are primary drivers of this escalating crisis.
• The number of individuals at risk of famine has doubled to 1.9 million compared to last year.
• Humanitarian funding cuts have contributed significantly to the bleak outlook for global food security.
• Countries like Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen are facing some of the worst conditions reported.

According to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, released by the United Nations, over 295 million people were affected by acute hunger in 2024, representing a significant increase of 13.7 million from 2023. This marks the sixth consecutive year of rising numbers, with nearly 22.6% of populations in the hardest-hit regions facing crisis-level hunger or worse. The report, compiled by a consortium of international agencies including the UN and Africanews, indicates that humanitarian aid is faltering amid severe funding cuts.

Conflict has been identified as the leading driver of hunger, directly impacting nearly 140 million people across 20 countries, with Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali reported to experience catastrophic conditions. Economic shocks, such as inflation and currency devaluation, have added fuel to the crisis, affecting about 59.4 million people in 15 countries including Syria and Yemen. Extreme weather events, especially those related to El Nino, have also driven many into crisis, with effects particularly felt in Southern Africa, Southern Asia, and the Horn of Africa according to reports from Reuters and Le Monde.

Notably, the number of individuals facing famine-like conditions has more than doubled to 1.9 million in 2024, the highest since monitoring began in 2016. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, described this scenario as “an unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course,” emphasizing the failure of current systems to address the alarming escalation in hunger, especially amidst significant waste in food production, as supported by various reports including those from Dawn and Reuters.

The grim outlook extends to future funding, as the UN warns of a significant drop in humanitarian aid ranging from 10% to over 45%. Countries such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Yemen have been severely affected by this abrupt reduction in support. In particular, the ongoing situation in Gaza, exacerbated by an Israeli blockade, threatens a return to famine conditions by September 2025, unless humanitarian efforts are significantly increased, as noted by Al Jazeera.