Hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity are on the rise across the globe for the sixth consecutive year, according to a new United Nations report.

The ‘Global Report on Food Crises’ (GRFC), produced by the Global Network Against Food Crises, says that last year more than 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger – an increase of almost 14 million people compared to 2023 – while the number of people facing catastrophic levels of hunger reached a record high.

And the situation is being exacerbated further by the US’ slashing of foreign aid under the Trump administration.

“Acute food insecurity and child malnutrition rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, pushing millions of people to the brink, in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions,” the report said.

It said conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes, and forced displacement continued to drive food insecurity and malnutrition around the world, with catastrophic impacts on many already fragile regions.

“Of great concern is the worsening prevalence of acute food insecurity, which now stands at 22.6 per cent of the population assessed. This marks the fifth consecutive year in which this figure has remained above 20 per cent,” the report said.

The number of people facing catastrophic hunger more than doubled over the same period to reach 1.9 million – the highest on record since the GRFC began tracking in 2016.

Malnutrition, particularly among children, reached extremely high levels, including in the Gaza Strip, Mali, Sudan, and Yemen. Nearly 38 million children under five were acutely malnourished across 26 nutrition crises.

The report also highlights a sharp increase in hunger driven by forced displacement, with nearly 95 million forcibly displaced people—including internally displaced persons (IDPs), asylum seekers and refugees— living in countries facing food crises such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Sudan, and Syria, out of a global total of 128 million forcibly displaced people.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the report showed “a world dangerously off course”.

“Long-standing crises are now being compounded by another, more recent one: the dramatic reduction in lifesaving humanitarian funding to respond to these needs. This is more than a failure of systems – it is a failure of humanity. Hunger in the 21st century is indefensible. We cannot respond to empty stomachs with empty hands and turned backs,” he said.

The report identified key drivers of acute food insecurity and malnutrition, including: conflict – affecting around 140 million people in 20 countries and territories; economic shocks, including inflation and currency devaluation, driving hunger in 15 countries and affecting 59.4 million people, and; weather extremes, particularly El Niño-induced droughts and floods, which pushed 18 countries into food crises affecting over 96 million people.

The report said hunger shocks are likely to persist into 2025, with an anticipated most significant reduction in humanitarian funding for food and nutrition crises in the report’s history.

“Acute food insecurity and malnutrition have increased to record levels, yet global funding is experiencing its fastest decline in years, and political momentum is weakening,” the report said.

It recommended “investing in local food systems and integrated nutrition services to address long-term vulnerabilities and build resilience to shocks – especially in crisis-prone regions where 70 percent of rural households rely on agriculture for sustenance and livelihood”.

Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell said: “In a world of plenty, there is no excuse for children to go hungry or die of malnutrition. Hunger gnaws at the stomach of a child. It gnaws, too, at their dignity, their sense of safety, and their future. How can we continue to stand by when there is more than enough food to feed every hungry child in the world? How can we ignore what is happening in front of our eyes? Millions of children’s lives hang in the balance as funding is slashed to critical nutrition services.”

Executive Director of the World Food program (WFP) Cindy McCain said: “Like every other humanitarian organisation, WFP is facing deep budget shortfalls which have forced drastic cuts to our food assistance programs. Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide. We have tried and tested solutions to hunger and food insecurity. But we need the support of our donors and partners to implement them.” Read the full report: Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2025