The 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) reveals that nearly 282 million people across 59 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute hunger in 2023. This study shows a global increase of 24 million from the previous year, with 1 in 5 people assessed requiring critical urgent action.
Key Findings
- 36 million children under 5 years of age are acutely malnourished across 32 countries
- Acute malnutrition worsened in 2023, particularly among displaced populations
- 36 countries have been consistently featured in GRFC analyses since 2016, representing 80% of the world’s most hungry
- 705,000 people were at risk of starvation (IPC/CH Phase 5) in 2023, the highest number in GRFC’s reporting history
- The Gaza Strip accounts for 80% of those facing imminent famine, along with South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Mali
- By July 2024, 1.1 million people in the Gaza Strip and 79,000 people in South Sudan are projected to be in IPC/CH Phase 5
Drivers of Food Crises
The report identifies three primary drivers of acute food insecurity:
- Conflict and insecurity (affecting 20 countries, 135 million people)
- Extreme weather events (affecting 18 countries, 77 million people)
- Economic shocks (affecting 21 countries, 75 million people)
These interlinked drivers exacerbate food system fragility, rural marginalization, poor governance, and inequality, leading to massive population displacement.
Breaking the Cycle of Food Crises
The Global Network Against Food Crises calls for a transformative approach that integrates peace, prevention, and development action alongside emergency efforts to break the cycle of acute hunger. Long-term national and international investments are needed to transform food systems and boost agricultural and rural development, along with greater crisis preparedness and critical lifesaving assistance.
The Way Forward
The international community has made bold commitments to address the food crisis, including recent G7 and G20 initiatives. The Global Network Against Food Crises offers to leverage its knowledge of hunger in the most fragile countries to strengthen linkages and build coherence between these global initiatives to ensure innovative and concrete impact for those affected by food crises.
About the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC)
- Produced annually by the Food Security Information Network.
- Launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises.
- Highlights acute food insecurity and malnutrition globally.
- Identifies main drivers like conflict, extreme weather, economic shocks.
- Calls for long-term investments to transform food systems.
The Global Report on Food Crises is produced annually by the Food Security Information Network and launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises, a multistakeholder initiative that includes United Nations organizations, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development, and non-governmental agencies working together to tackle food crises.
