Global Hunger Crisis Deepens As Rich Nations Reduce Aid

It’s a grim reality: The number of people suffering from hunger and other hardships worldwide is rising, while contributions from the world’s wealthiest nations are declining.

The funding shortfall has forced humanitarian agencies to make painful decisions, such as reducing rations for the hungry and narrowing the eligibility criteria for aid.

This dynamic was reported by Jaimi Dowdell, Kaylee Kang, Benjamin Lesser, and Raymon Troncoso for Reuters.

The United Nations estimates it will be able to assist only about 60% of the 307 million people projected to need humanitarian aid in 2025, leaving at least 117 million without food or other critical assistance.

The UN will end 2024 having raised just 46% of the $49.6 billion it sought for global humanitarian aid, according to its own data.

This marks the second consecutive year that the organization has raised less than half of its target. The funding shortfall has forced humanitarian agencies to make painful decisions, such as reducing rations for the hungry and narrowing the eligibility criteria for aid.

The consequences are especially severe in places like Syria, where the World Food Program (WFP), the UN’s primary food distributor, once supported 6 million people. Today, it has been forced to scale back drastically.