World Hunger Day is annually observed across the globe on May 28 to raise awareness about the millions of people lacking access to proper food.
- The day seeks to bring together the global community to raise the voices of those affected by hunger and promote collective action towards eliminating world hunger.
2025 Theme:
The theme for World Hunger Day 2025 is “Sowing Resilience”, highlights the need to strengthen communities against climate-driven disruptions and systemic inequalities.
Background:
i.World Hunger Day was established in 2011 by the New York (United States of America, USA)-based non-profit organization, The Hunger Project (THP), to highlight the global food crisis.
ii.The first World Hunger Day was observed on May 28, 2011.
Climate Change and Food Insecurity:
i.Climate change intensifies droughts, floods, and heatwaves, reducing crop yields and spiking food prices. For instance:
ii.In Africa, agricultural productivity declined by 34% due to climate change, with 95% of farmers relying on rain-fed agriculture.
iii.South Sudan faced 4 consecutive years of floods, submerging farmland, while Madagascar suffered its worst drought since 1981.
iv.Climate-resilient agriculture, such as drought-resistant crops and agroforestry, could boost yields by 30% in vulnerable regions, per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2025
i.The GRFC 2025, published by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) in collaboration with the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), reveals alarming statistics:
ii.More than 295.3 million people across 53 countries experienced acute hunger in 2024, an increase of 13.7 million compared to 2023.
iii.Global acute malnutrition cases in children aged 6–59 months rose from 26.9 million (2023) to 30.4 million (2024), with severe crises in Sudan and Gaza.
iv.139.8 million people across 20 countries, including Nigeria, Sudan, and Myanmar, face starvation due to conflict and displacement.
Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024:
i.The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024, released by Ireland-based Concern Worldwide and Germany-based Welt Hunger Hilfe.
- Although the world generates enough food to feed all 8 billion people, around 733 million, equivalent to 1 in every 11 individuals, still face hunger each day.
ii.The world’s GHI score stands at 18.3, categorized as “moderate”, but 42 countries face “alarming” hunger levels.
- Hunger is particularly severe in Africa, where one in five people struggles with food insecurity on a daily basis.
- The 2024 Global Hunger Index classifies hunger levels as “Alarming” in six countries: Burundi, Chad, Madagascar, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
- Each year, hunger-related causes claim the lives of 9 million people, many of them children under the age of five.
iii.India ranks 105th out of 127 countries (up from 111th in 2023), falling under the “serious” category with a GHI score of 27.3.
Impact of USAID Funding Withdrawal:
i.The abrupt end of Washington, D.C., (USA) based United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding in 2025 has severely impacted humanitarian efforts, risking severe malnutrition for 14 million children in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, and Haiti.
ii.This cut disrupts food aid programs, exacerbating mortality rates in conflict zones
About The Hunger Project (THP):
President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Rowlands Kaotcha
Headquarters – New York, the United States of America (USA)
Founded – 1977
