How
Conflict
Drives Hunger
Conflict forces families from their homes, destroys economies, ruins infrastructure and makes food nearly impossible to find or afford. As the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, the World Food Programme is there before, during and after upheaval to help families survive and recover.
65%
of the worldโs hungriest people live in conflict-affected areas.
120 Million
have been displaced from their homes by persecution, conflict or violence.
#1
Conflict is the primary driver of hunger in the world.
World's Worst Conflicts
Years of conflict in Gaza have decimated the region and left 1.4 million people extremely hungry.
Three years of civil war in Sudan have left 19 million people extremely hungry.
The war in Ukraine has devastated the country. Two million people require food assistance.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced internal conflict for several years, leaving 26 million people hungry.
How Conflict Causes Hunger
Conflict Creates Chaos
When violence erupts, it sends shock waves through the region. Infrastructure is destroyed, imports cease, inflation rates rise, currency devalues, roads are cut off and jobs are lost. All of this makes it exceedingly difficult for people to find enough food.
Refugee Crises
Next, when itโs no longer safe at home and people canโt make ends meet, many of them have no choice but to leave โ often bringing only what they can carry. Without resources, finding food in isolated, often bleak environments, becomes even harder.
Child Malnutrition
Finally, the combination of destabilization and displacement almost inevitably leads to hunger, which is especially cruel to children. A child living in a country ravaged by violence is more than twice as likely to be malnourished and to be out of school.
WFP in Conflict Zones
The World Food Programme (WFP) faces conflict head-on and goes where others canโt to reach the most vulnerable people in the world.
Food Aid
Cash & Vouchers
School Meals
Rebuilding
WFP's IMPACT in 2025
5 billion pounds
of food distributed in 2025
25 million
women and children received specialized nutrition assistance in 2025
$2.2 billion
was distributed in cash and vouchers in 2025
19 million
children in crisis-hit countries receive WFP school meals every year
59%
of the people WFP served in 2025 were children
2.1 million
small-scale farmers received WFP support in 2025
12.4 million
refugees received lifesaving food assistance from WFP in 2025
Stories of
Conflict and Hunger
- News Release
- September 17, 2026
- News Release
- September 15, 2026
- Blog
- September 14, 2026