UN agencies say acute hunger rose in 2024 as funding cuts threaten 2025 response

The World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization and UNICEF told a United Nations press briefing that acute hunger worsened in 2024 across dozens of countries and that projected funding cuts for 2025 risk reducing lifesaving aid.

Arif Hussain, World Food Programme chief economist, said the ninth Global Report on Food Crises found about 295,000,000 people in 53 countries experienced high levels of acute hunger in 2024, an increase of almost 14,000,000 from 2023. He said the full list includes about 65 countries and territories with food crises in 2024, but that consensus data were available for 53 countries.

The report matters because it is a widely used reference for humanitarian planning and highlights where immediate assistance is needed. Briefing participants emphasized that conflict, extreme weather and economic shocks are the main drivers and often interact, and that declining humanitarian funding will constrain response where needs have risen.

Hussain and colleagues said the most severe outcomes continued in…