250m people suffer acute hunger globally, FAO declares

Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has revealed that about 282 million people in 59 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute hunger in 2023, showing a worldwide increase of 24 million from the previous year.

The report stated that for four consecutive years, the proportion of people facing acute food insecurity has remained persistently high at almost 22 per cent of those assessed, significantly exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.

“Children and women are at the forefront of these hunger crises, with over 36 million children under five years of age acutely malnourished across 32 countries, the report shows. Acute malnutrition worsened in 2023, particularly among people displaced because of conflict and disasters.”

“Thirty-six countries have been consistently featured in the GRFC analyses since 2016, reflecting continuing years of acute hunger, and currently representing 80 per cent of the world’s most hungry.”

“There has also been an increase of one million people facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity across 39 countries and territories, with the biggest increase in the Sudan.”

The Global Network Against Food Crises has, however, called for a transformative approach that integrates peace, prevention and development action alongside at-scale emergency efforts to break the cycle of acute hunger, which remains at unacceptably high levels.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, noted: “This crisis demands an urgent response. Using the data in this report to transform food systems and address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition will be vital.”

The report noted that intensifying conflict and insecurity on the impacts of economic shocks, and the effects of extreme weather events are continuing to drive acute food insecurity, saying interlinked drivers were exacerbating food systems fragility, rural marginalisation, poor governance, and inequality, and lead to massive displacement of populations globally.