World hunger: the problem

35 children are born into hunger every minute.

Hunger knows no borders, no boundaries and no limits. Today, the number of people experiencing hunger is at record levels. In fact, at least 18.2 million children were born into hunger in 2024. This is equivalent to 35 children being born into hunger every minute.

As the climate crisis deepens, conflict escalates, global inequality widens, and funding that has been saving lives continues to be cut, more and more children face the ever-growing threat of hunger.

They can’t learn, play, or grow. Their childhoods slip away.

A rising tide of war – from Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan – is forcing families from their homes, destroying farmland and essential infrastructure, and creating tens of millions of refugees who struggle to get the food they need.

A wave of floods, drought, storms and wildfires – driven by climate change – is devastating crops and livelihoods, leaving children without enough to eat. And economic turmoil is pushing the price of food beyond the reach of many families. 

We have been providing life-saving nutritional support to children for over 100 years. But right now, at a time when global hunger is skyrocketing and approximately 16 million children under five are facing
severe, potentially fatal, malnutrition each year, the funding for this nutrition support - the funding that could save their lives - has been cut.

This is a crisis on a vast scale – devastating millions of lives across dozens of countries. Behind the appalling numbers are the stories of individual children.

Even a day without proper food can have an impact. Children lose energy. They find it hard to concentrate and learn. They might be anxious or upset.

In the first few days of hunger, changes are already happening to a child's body. Their body starts eating its own fat to make energy. They start to lose their appetite. They become very tired and unable to focus. They begin to lose weight.

After two weeks, their body starts to deteriorate quickly. Their heart, liver and kidneys start to weaken. Their body is more at risk of infections. Their appetite decreases further, and irritability increases. Their body starts to eat its own muscle to stay alive.

After more than three weeks, the effects are catastrophic. Children become vulnerable to common illnesses that could now kill them. Their eyes get lesions leading to loss of sight. Their muscles have wasted away. Their hair starts to fall out. They find it very hard to move. Their organs shut down.

Millions of children’s lives and futures are hanging in the balance. But, hunger is not a lost cause. Together we can stop this crisis in its tracks. 

Save the Children equips children and their families with what they need to fight hunger.

Together, let's build a world where no child goes hungry. Donate now and you’ll help us deliver life-saving support to children on the frontline of this crisis.

Keep scrolling to read the stories of children impacted by the global hunger crisis and find out how we can stop hunger.

Recent aid cuts have forced us to shut down life-saving services.

In Afghanistan alone, if additional funding is not secured by the end of the year, we will be forced to close 21 health facilities, affecting 1.5 million people.

In South Sudan, aid cuts have already forced us to close 13 nutrition centres and reduce delivery capacity in a further 62.

In Somalia, 18 Save the Children-supported health and nutrition facilities have had to stop services, with more at risk of closing by the end of the year.

This puts the lives of at least 55,000 children with severe malnutrition at risk.

The collapse in nutrition funding globally is predicted to cut off treatment for 15.6 million people across 18 countries, including over 2.3 million severely malnourished children which could lead to 369,000 extra child deaths each year.

Childhood hunger is not a lost cause. But time is running out.

Donate now to our Children’s Emergency Fund, and you’ll help us deliver life-saving support to children on the frontline of this crisis.