According to United Nations estimates, 673 million people suffered starvation in 2024. This means a decrease compared to the data from 2023 and 2022, although it does not apply to the full world. Hunger continued to increase in most areas of Africa and Western Asia.
Report ‘Food Safety and Nutrition State’ (SOFI), produced annually by 5 UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO), provides key data on the global state of hunger and malnutrition.
According to SOFI 2025, between 638 and 720 million people in the planet suffered hunger in 2024, an average of 673 million, a decrease of 15 million compared to 2023, but these figures inactive exceed pre-pandemic levels. The improvement was noted in South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, but The situation is deteriorating in Africa and Western Asia. In Africa, hunger affected more than 20% of the population (307 million people) and in Western Asia 12.7% (more than 39 million). More than 190 million children under the age of 5 endure from malnutrition, which threatens their wellness and development.
– all kid deserves a chance. However, more than 190 million children under the age of 5 are affected by malnutrition, which may have negative consequences for their physical and intellectual development. This deprives them of their full potential. The SOFI study 2025 highlights the request for urgent action for the youngest and most susceptible children in the world, as rising food prices can exacerbate food uncertainty for millions of families – said Catherine Russell, UNICEF CEO.
In 2024 23.2% of children under the age of 5 suffered from growth inhibition, in turn 6.6% from destruction, which means small improvement compared to earlier years (SOFI 2025).
Increase in food prices and global hunger
The SOFI 2025 study besides stresses that the sharp increase in food prices between 2021 and 1923 – due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war and utmost weather phenomena – has importantly slowed global efforts to improve food security.
Food inflation peaked at 13.6% in January 2023, surpassing overall inflation by more than 5 percent points. Low income countries were peculiarly affected, with inflation reaching as much as 30% in May 2023, which drastically reduced access to adequate food for millions of families.
The emergence in food prices has a direct impact on the situation of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable. Although globally the number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet fell to 2.6 billion in 2024, in low-income countries it increased from 464 million to 545 million. This means that more and more children are increasing up undernourished, threatening their health, improvement and future.
– We request to work with governments, the private sector and the communities themselves to supply susceptible families with access to food that is affordable and provides adequate nutrition for children's development. This includes strengthening social protection programmes and educating parents on locally produced, nutritious foods for children, including the importance of breastfeeding, which gives the kid the best start in life – stressed Catherine Russell.
Gaza Strip faces famine
Gaza is on the verge of famine – over 500,000 people, almost a 4th of the population, experience conditions akin to catastrophic hunger, and 39% of residents spend all day without food.
2.2 million people surviving in the Gaza Strip face serious food insecurity. In any parts of the region, 2 of the 3 method thresholds for famine have already been exceeded. Health, water and sanitation systems and distribution of aid are on the verge of a breakdown, and access to life-saving humanitarian aid is severely limited – more than 62 000 tonnes of food and support are needed each month.
The situation of children is peculiarly dramatic. Acute malnutrition among children under the age of 5 increased 4 times in just 2 months, reaching 16.5%.
This means that over 320 000 youngest people are at hazard of malnutrition, and thousands endure from its heaviest form – severe acute malnutrition. The closure of border crossings, the deficiency of clean water and the breakdown of the wellness care strategy means that children in the Gaza Strip are deprived of basic conditions to survive. If aid is not delivered immediately and on a large scale, the number of fatalities will proceed to increase.
– Starved children and infants in Gaza die of malnutrition. We request immediate, safe and undisturbed access to humanitarian measures across Gaza to increase life-saving supplies of food, nutrients, water and medicines. Without this parent and fathers will proceed to face the worst nightmare of the parent, they will be powerless in the face of the hunger of their children, while we can prevent it," she noted. Catherine Russell.
UN agencies besides reiterate their urgent calls for:
- an immediate and permanent ceasefire to halt the death of people, let the safe release of hostages and conduct life-saving humanitarian operations;
- sustainable, safe and undisturbed humanitarian access to the massive influx of assistance through all available passages and the supply of food, nutrients, water, fuel and medical assistance to families in request throughout the Gaza Strip;
- the urgent request to reconstruct the flow of trade to Gaza through the revival of commercial supply chains in order to reconstruct the functioning of local markets; the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers with the restoration of basic services, in peculiar health, water and sewage infrastructure;
- investments in rebuilding local food systems, including the revitalization of bakeries, markets and agriculture.
Source: UNICEF Poland
