poverty

& the Hunger Trap

Poverty is always at the core of severe hunger and exacerbated by factors like rising food costs, outbreaks of conflict and sudden climate shocks. We provide food to families experiencing the most extreme levels of poverty to help them survive, and we deploy long-term solutions so they can overcome hardships in the future.

Poverty Around the World

$2.15

People in extreme poverty live on less than $2.15 per day.

1/12

1 in 12 people are living in
extreme poverty.

1/2

Just over half of all people in extreme poverty live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Break The Cycle

of Poverty and Hunger

Poverty is the root cause of suffering for millions of people, from life-threatening malnutrition to social exclusion. Poverty traps families in debilitating cycles of disadvantage as they are cut off from educational opportunities, economic resources, healthcare and the food they need to fuel their bodies.  

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) serves people who are experiencing the most severe levels of hunger and poverty. Through lifesaving food and long-term programming, we build pathways for millions across the globe to break the cycle of poverty, hunger and inequality. 

WFP delivers food in Ethiopia
Photo: WFP/Michael Tewelde/2023

How Extreme Poverty Breeds Extreme Hunger

Child is treated for malnutrition
Photo: WFP/Arete/Arlette Bashizi/2022

When parents can’t afford food every day, children don’t receive the nutrition they need for healthy physical and emotional development. This lack of nutrition can leave children vulnerable to common illnesses and malnutrition which can have lifelong impacts.

WFP Delivers Food to the Poorest Countries

Afghanistan

Decades of conflict, climate shocks and severe economic decline have plunged millions of Afghans into poverty and hunger. Today, over half of Afghanistan’s population lives below the poverty line. The country continues to teeter on the edge of economic collapse with the local currency at an all-time low and food prices on the rise. WFP reaching vulnerable families across the country with lifesaving food.

Photo: WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua/2022

Climate Change

More than 80% of the world’s poorest people live in disaster-prone countries – they bear the brunt of floods, droughts and hurricanes. See how poverty and climate change are linked. 

Photo: WFP/Cynthia R Matonhodze/2023

Food Waste

In countries where hunger is rampant, farmers often lose much of their crops during growth, harvest and storage. See how farmers living in poverty face an uphill climb in living off the land.

WFP Helps Lift People Out of Poverty and Hunger

The U.N. World Food Programme provides marginalized communities with solutions to break the cycle of generational poverty.  

Photo: WFP/Michael Castofas/2023
Photo: WFP/Michael Castofas/2023
Cash-Based Aid

Cash, e-money and value vouchers restore people’s purchasing power while stimulating local markets, leveling the playing field for poor families. 

Photo: t line* (Required) © WFP/Mohammed Abbas/2019
Training

From entrepreneurship and digital skills to sustainable agriculture training, WFP provides opportunities to learn new skills and boost their incomes. 

Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder/2023
School Meals

WFP’s school meals foster healthy childhoods so young boys and girls can grow up, learn essential skills, enter the workforce and build prosperous lives.

Photo: WFP/Edmond Khoury/2023
Supporting Farmers

WFP helps farmers increase their productivity and income opportunities by connecting them to local markets and providing them with tools, training and financing. 

Send meals to families

Help us send meals to families living in extreme poverty across the globe. Your gift could save a life.