IN 2024, hunger escalated to unprecedented levels, pushing over 295 million people across 53 countries to the edge of starvation – a staggering increase of nearly 14 million from the previous year. The Global Report on Food Crises reveals a world spiralling into a catastrophic food emergency, with Africa and the Gaza Strip bearing the brunt of this relentless crisis.
Across Africa, conflict, economic collapse, and climate disasters have converged to devastate millions. Sudan has officially descended into famine, while South Sudan and Mali grapple with catastrophic hunger that threatens entire communities. In Southern Africa and the Horn of Africa, El Niño-fueled droughts and floods have plunged over 96 million people into food crises, stripping families of their livelihoods and hope.
Economic shocks—rampant inflation and currency collapses—have pushed nearly 60 million people into hunger, doubling pre-pandemic levels. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are among the nations where the cost of survival has become unbearable.
Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, delivers a stark warning: “This is not merely a call to action – it is a moral imperative… We will not abandon the most vulnerable, especially in fragile and conflict-affected countries.”
Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the situation is nothing short of apocalyptic. Every single person faces acute food insecurity. Nearly half a million are teetering on the brink of famine as renewed conflict, border closures, and a total ban on humanitarian aid have obliterated any progress made. Children and mothers suffer most—tens of thousands will urgently need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2025.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s Executive Director, voices the unbearable truth: “In a world of plenty, there is no excuse for children to go hungry or die of malnutrition… Millions of children’s lives hang in the balance as funding is slashed to critical nutrition services.”
Globally, conflict remains the ruthless engine driving hunger, displacing nearly 95 million people into countries already crippled by food crises. Yemen, Haiti, Syria, Afghanistan—names that echo the tragedy of millions left hungry and desperate.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemns this failure of humanity: “Hunger in the 21st century is indefensible. We cannot respond to empty stomachs with empty hands and turned backs.”
Yet, as hunger reaches record highs, humanitarian funding is plummeting at its fastest rate in years. Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, sounds the alarm: “Millions have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide… We have solutions—but we need support now.”
The path forward demands bold, united action—investing not only in emergency aid but in building resilient local food systems and empowering rural communities who depend on agriculture for survival.
Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, reminds us: “Rural communities—especially smallholder farmers—are central to food security, resilience, and growth.”
The world stands at a crossroads. Without urgent, decisive intervention, millions more will suffer the ravages of hunger and malnutrition. This is a crisis of our making—and a test of our collective will to act with humanity, courage, and resolve.
