Right now, one in eleven people around the world don't have enough food to eat. Discover the causes and effects of world hunger - and how we can stop it.
There’s enough food on the planet to feed everyone in the world.
But 733 million people are going hungry every day. Poverty, conflict and the climate crisis are keeping life-giving food out of reach.
What is world hunger?
According to the UN Hunger Report, hunger is when populations are experiencing severe food insecurity. That means when people can’t get a steady, daily supply of safe and nutritious food to live an active and healthy life.
Facts and figures
2.8bn
2.83 billion people can't afford a healthy diet - that's 35% of the global population.
1 in 11
Globally, one in eleven people go to bed hungry every night.
85%
85% of people facing hunger crises live in conflict-affected countries.
Causes of world hunger
There are many reasons why people are facing hunger and malnutrition around the world, including conflict, violence, poverty, climate change and climate-related disasters.
Conflict
People in Sudan fleeing their neighbourhoods amid fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Khartoum.
War and conflict are the biggest causes of hunger in the world today. War disrupts people growing and exporting crops all over the world, which is increasing food scarcity in regions directly impacted by the violence and beyond.
Those who survive conflict will have their lives blighted. Many will have their future health, wealth and wellbeing compromised. As a result, they’re more likely to raise their children in poverty.
Climate change and climate-related disasters
Local women plant rice in Paguir, South Sudan. The rice has been recently introduced by Action Against Hunger after 3 years of continuous flooding in an act to overcome the growing hunger crisis in the area.
The changing climate is causing high temperatures and extreme weather for people living in the toughest places on earth. Rain is increasing in some regions and at record low levels in others. Extreme weather that cranks up hunger and risk of famines is rising, including disasters like:
droughts
cyclones
floods
earthquakes
tsunamis.
The climate crisis is a humanitarian emergency. Without change, the warming climate and consequent biodiversity loss will cause a global food crisis. Extreme weather events, like cyclones and long-term droughts, will become more frequent and crop growing seasons will be shorter.
Poverty
Poverty is a major cause of food insecurity. Even though the world produces enough food to feed the entire population, four out of ten people in the world can’t afford a healthy diet.
Some countries experience poverty and low levels of food security more than others. In South Asia, 13 million jobs need to be created every year to keep pace with population growth.
Poverty often leads to a downward spiral of despair. Families start by cutting back on clothing and leisure activities. Then they start cutting back on nutritious, varied food – before cutting back on food altogether.
Gender inequality and food insecurity
Around the world, women and girls are most at risk of malnourishment. In countries facing conflict and famine, women and girls often eat last and have the least access to healthy food.
Women need about 25% less energy per day than men, but the same amount of nutrients. This means their diet needs include more nutrient-rich foods.
But the healthy food women and girls need to thrive is often unaffordable. Across the world, nutritious foods like fruit, vegetables and protein cost the most.
Hunger in children
50%
Nearly half of all deaths among children under five are linked to hunger.
1,000
1,000 children die each day from illnesses caused by dirty water and unhygienic living conditions.
148M
Around the world, 148 million children are missing out on meals and essential health and nutrition services.
The latest UN Hunger Hotspots report highlights Haiti, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are the hungriest countries in the world.
We’re building a world where no one dies from hunger. For over forty years, we’ve been leading the global movement to end life-threatening hunger for good.
Our unstoppable energy comes from our unbeatable knowledge. With the right technical know-how, we can break down the biggest problems into simple steps.
We’re focusing hard on diagnosis, treatment and prevention. We’re leading technical organisation in the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition and actively pilot new approaches. Our work is ensuring all children affected by acute malnutrition can receive the care they need and deserve.
When a major crisis hits, we link with other UK charities specialising in humanitarian aid, through our membership of the Disasters Emergency Committee and the Start Network, helping all to respond early and quickly to emergencies together.
In 2023, we helped more than 21 million people in 56 countries around the world.
More on world hunger
Food security
Everyone should have enough nutritious food to eat. But millions of people live with food insecurity. Learn why.
