[UPDATED]—The number of hungry people in the world declined in 2024 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, but progess has been too slow says the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
“These numbers aren’t just statistics – they represent seniors rationing food, parents skipping meals so their children can eat, and families being pushed to the brink of starvation,” said Stefan Epp-Koop, Foodgrains Bank senior manager for humanitarian programming, in a news release.
A U.N. report, released Monday, said 8.2 per cent of the world’s population experienced hunger — down from 8.5 per cent in 2023. Numbers continue to improve after spiking to 9.9 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2021 report.
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Number of hungry people falls below 2019 levels
This means between 638 million and 720 million people faced hunger last year. With a midpoint estimate of 673 million people, this marks the first time the actual number of people facing hunger has fallen below 2019’s estimate of 690 million people, explained Laura Brookes, the Foodgrains Bank’s senior communications officer.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, jointly prepared by five U.N. agencies, focused on chronic, long-term issues and did not fully reflect impacts of acute crises brought on by specific events, such as war in Gaza.
Maximo Torero, the chief economist for the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, said improved access to food in South America and India had driven the overall decline but cautioned that conflict and other factors in places such as Africa and the Middle East risked undoing those gains.
“If conflict continues to grow, of course, if vulnerabilities continue to grow, and the debt stress continues to increase, the numbers will increase again,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of a U.N. food summit in Ethiopia.
“Conflict continues to drive hunger from Gaza to Sudan and beyond,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in remarks delivered by video link to the summit. “Hunger further feeds future instability and undermines peace.”
Food costs drive insecurity
Food affordability also continues to challenge food security, the Foodgrains Bank said.
“In Sudan, the average cost of a healthy diet has risen by over 28 per cent since 2017 due to the ongoing conflict,” said Epp-Koop. “That’s a burden many would find hard to carry. But for those who were already struggling due to poverty, it often feels impossible.
Funding cuts earlier this year to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) slashed funding for about 40 per cent of the world’s international aid programs, the Foodgrains Bank said. This, combined with cuts from other Western governments, mean the number of hungry people is expected to rise this year.
The Foodgrains Bank committed to reach more than 1.1 million people in 37 countries in 2024 and 2025 with food assistance and long-term livelihood and agriculture support.
