More than 295 million people faced acute food insecurity around the world last year, an alarming high driven by escalating conflict, economic shocks, and extreme weather — and worsened by funding cuts to humanitarian aid.
It’s the sixth consecutive annual increase in the number of people facing starvation, and the outlook for 2025 is “bleak” as well, according to a report released Friday by a consortium of international organizations and NGOs.
The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises found that nearly a quarter of the populations of 53 countries it analyzed faced acute food insecurity, or 13.7 million more than in 2023, despite this year’s report covering fewer countries than last year’s. Deteriorating food insecurity in 19 countries — driven mainly by Nigeria, Sudan, and Myanmar — outweighed improvements in 15 others, including Afghanistan, Kenya, and Ukraine.
About the author
Tania Karas@TaniaKaras
Tania Karas is a Senior Editor at Devex, where she edits coverage on global development and humanitarian aid in the Americas. Previously, she managed the digital team for The World, where she oversaw content production for the website, podcast, newsletter, and social media platforms. Tania also spent three years as a foreign correspondent in Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon, covering the Syrian refugee crisis and European politics. She started her career as a staff reporter for the New York Law Journal, covering immigration and access to justice.
