The world faced a profound humanitarian reckoning in 2024 as hunger surged to levels unseen in decades, driven by a dangerous convergence of armed conflict, climate shocks, economic fragility and chronic underfunding of aid operations. This stark reality is detailed in the Annual Performance Report of the World Food Programme (WFP), submitted to the United Nations Economic and Social Council for its 2026 session.
According to the report, an estimated 343 million people across 74 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2024. Of these, 44.4 million experienced emergency or worse conditions, while a record 1.9 million people endured catastrophic hunger, including famine-like conditions in parts of Sudan. WFP describes the situation as a global “polycrisis,” in which overlapping shocks reinforce one another and overwhelm national and international response systems.
Hunger driven by war, climate and displacement
Armed conflict remained the single most powerful driver of hunger. Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar and eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo were among the hardest-hit contexts, where violence destroyed livelihoods, disrupted markets and severely restricted humanitarian access. In all five countries where catastrophic hunger was recorded—Haiti, Mali, Gaza, South Sudan and Sudan—high levels of armed violence were present.
Climate extremes compounded the crisis. El Niño-driven droughts and floods devastated crops and displaced millions across Africa, Asia and Latin America, while rising temperatures made 2024 the warmest year on record. At the same time, weak economic growth, high debt burdens and persistently elevated food prices eroded household purchasing power. Globally, nearly 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet.
Displacement reached unprecedented levels, with more than 123 million people forcibly displaced by mid-2024. This not only increased humanitarian needs but also made aid delivery more complex and dangerous. The year became the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers, underscoring the growing risks faced by frontline staff.
Delivering aid under extreme constraints
Despite these challenges, WFP mounted one of the largest humanitarian operations in its history. In 2024, the organization reached 124 million people with food, nutrition and cash-based assistance, including 90 million in emergency settings. It delivered 16.1 billion daily rations, combining in-kind food, cash transfers and vouchers, at an average cost of USD 0.45 per person per day.
Food assistance remained essential in conflict zones where markets had collapsed, while cash-based transfers were used in 76 countries to provide flexibility and dignity where conditions allowed. WFP also supported 38.8 million childrenthrough school meals and nutrition programmes and assisted 18.8 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children with targeted nutrition support.
Beyond immediate relief, WFP invested in resilience and recovery. More than 20 million people benefited from programmes aimed at improving livelihoods, supporting smallholder farmers and strengthening climate resilience. National systems, including social protection and school feeding programmes, were strengthened in 76 countries, reflecting WFP’s expanding role at the intersection of humanitarian response and long-term development.
Funding shortfalls force difficult choices
The report makes clear, however, that WFP’s reach fell far short of global needs. Contribution revenue totalled USD 9.8 billion, the second-highest in the organization’s history, yet it covered only 54 percent of identified operational requirements. As a result, WFP was forced to reduce rations, shorten assistance periods and scale back programmes in major operations such as Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Ukraine.
Overall, only one in four acutely food-insecure people received assistance in 2024. These funding gaps translated directly into human consequences—fewer meals, reduced nutritional intake and growing vulnerability for millions already living on the edge of survival.
Reform, accountability and staff protection
Facing an increasingly constrained and unpredictable funding environment, WFP undertook significant internal reforms. Under its new “One Global Headquarters” model, regional bureaux are being more closely integrated with headquarters functions to reduce duplication, improve coordination and cut costs. The organization reduced its programme support and administrative budget by 15 percent and strengthened assurance systems to enhance transparency, risk management and accountability.
Staff safety emerged as a central concern. Following the deaths of four WFP personnel in 2024, the agency introduced a comprehensive duty-of-care framework to embed staff protection into all policies and decision-making processes. The report stresses that humanitarian workers must never be targeted and calls for renewed respect for international humanitarian law.
A warning for the future
While highlighting innovation, efficiency gains and expanding partnerships—including growing private-sector support—the report delivers a clear warning. Humanitarian needs are rising faster than resources, and the world is drifting dangerously off course from achieving Zero Hunger by 2030.
WFP concludes that without sustained political action to prevent conflict, address climate vulnerability and provide predictable, flexible funding for humanitarian operations, emergency food assistance risks becoming a permanent substitute for solutions that never arrive. The 2024 report stands as both a testament to extraordinary humanitarian effort and a stark call to action for governments, donors and the international community to confront a crisis that is no longer episodic, but systemic.
