10 Quick Facts on Global Hunger and the World Food Programme’s Lifesaving Work

Last Updated July 9, 2025
WFP/Shelley Thakral/2022

The world is in the midst of a global hunger crisis – the largest in recent history. In this year of unprecedented needs and funding shortfalls, the World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up to reach tens of millions of people with lifesaving food.

Here are the 10 facts you need to know about hunger and our work:

1) Up to 757 million people worldwide are facing chronic hunger. That means 1 in 11 people are not consuming enough food to lead an active, healthy life.

2) 319 million people are facing extreme hunger.

3) 42.9 million people are on the brink of starvation or worse. 1.9 million people are facing catastrophic hunger.

4) In 2025, we’re aiming to serve 98 million people and need $5.7 billion.

5) In areas of extreme hardship around the world, where the World Food Programme works to serve the hungriest of the hungry, women have a 10% higher chance of being hungry than men. That means more than half of the world’s hungriest people (60%) are women.

6) 45 million children under 5 are severely hungry – meaning they’ve suffered from recent and life-threatening weight loss due to lack of nourishment.

7) Conflict is the number one driver of hunger in the world.

8) In 2024, we delivered 2.5 million metric tons of food and distributed $2.2 billion dollars in cash and vouchers.

9) We provide 20 million children around the world with school meals, nutritious snacks and take-home rations.

10) The average cost of a World Food Programme meal is $0.50 cents. For $75, we can feed a family of five for one month with an emergency box of food.

As the number of people experiencing acute hunger continues to rise, WFP will continue to work doggedly to bring food and aid to millions of people in need.

Have a question about our work? Contact us today.

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