Food as a Weapon: Global Starvation Crisis
- More than 700 million people worldwide struggle to survive on less than $2.15 a day, facing constant food shortages.
- World Bank figures indicate that 838 million people, or 10.5% of the global population, were living in extreme poverty in 2022—125 million more than previously estimated.
- The extreme poverty line has been adjusted to $3 per day, up from $2.15.
In a world marred by conflict, food is increasingly wielded as a weapon, exacerbating a global starvation crisis. The number of those facing starvation skyrocketed in 2024, especially in Gaza and Sudan, where wars disrupt food supplies and humanitarian aid struggles to reach those in need. This crisis, driven by escalating conflicts, economic instability, and reduced aid, disproportionately affects women, girls, and indigenous populations. Extreme poverty, with over 838 million people affected, further compounds the issue. News Directory 3 is covering the unfolding tragedy. What innovative solutions are emerging to combat this devastating trend? Discover what’s next …
Weaponizing Food Worsens Global starvation Crisis
More than 700 million people worldwide struggle to survive on less than $2.15 a day, facing constant food shortages. An estimated 3.4 billion, living on under $5.50 daily,can scarcely afford adequate nutrition,according to recent data.
World Bank figures indicate that 838 million people, or 10.5% of the global population, were living in extreme poverty in 2022—125 million more than previously estimated. Projections suggest that by 2025, nearly one in ten (9.9%) will remain in extreme poverty, leaving approximately 750 million hungry.
The extreme poverty line has been adjusted to $3 per day, up from $2.15. In 2022,the poor represented almost half (48%) of the world’s population. With medium-term growth prospects remaining bleak and inequality widening, their outlook appears grim.
While sufficient caloric intake is vital,dietary diversity is equally crucial for nutrition. The poor frequently enough cannot afford to eat enough food, much less maintain a healthy diet.
Women and girls are more prone to hunger than men, with higher hunger rates in female-headed households. Indigenous peoples, though comprising less than 5% of the global population, account for 15% of the extreme poor and experience disproportionately higher rates of hunger.
drivers of Food Crises
The 2025 Global Report on Food crises (GRFC) highlights that 2024 marked the sixth consecutive year of escalating acute food insecurity, with 295.3 million people facing starvation.
Escalating conflicts, economic instability, notable funding cuts, and reduced humanitarian aid are all jeopardizing food security. As global warming intensifies, the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity is expected to rise further this year.
Food insecurity has worsened in 19 countries and territories,primarily due to internal conflicts,such as those in myanmar,nigeria,and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Even before recent aid reductions, half of the countries and territories featured in the GRFC 2025 were grappling with food crises. Despite La Niña rains, droughts in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are anticipated to worsen.
Recent aid cuts, including those from USAID, have defunded food programs for over 14 million children in Sudan, Yemen, and Haiti alone. G7 countries are projected to cut aid by 28% in 2026 compared to 2024. The GRFC 2025 reported a 30% decline in humanitarian food assistance in both 2023 and 2024.
In 2024, 65.9 million people in asia faced food insecurity, with the situation being most severe in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Food crises threatened 33.5 million people, or 44% of those in the eight MENA territories assessed in the GRFC 2025.
Starvation as a Weapon
The number of people facing starvation more than doubled in 2024, with over 95% of this increase occurring in the Gaza Strip and Sudan. Wars disrupt food production and distribution. A famine was declared in Sudan in December 2024, with over 24 million people starving due to the ongoing civil war.
Sudan,possessing the largest farming area in africa,sees two-thirds of its population relying on agriculture. However, the ongoing conflict has led to the destruction and abandonment of significant farmland and infrastructure.
Despite the devastating factional war, Sudan remains the world’s largest exporter of oily seeds, highlighting its agricultural potential.
Many more are starving in Haiti, Mali, and South Sudan. The UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) categorizes such starvation, death, destitution, and severe acute malnutrition as “catastrophic.”
Food deprivation has become a primary weapon against the people of Gaza. The 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza have been at “critical risk” of famine due to the Israeli blockade on food and humanitarian aid as October 2023.
Despite official denials of mass starvation, growing international condemnation has prompted the Israeli government to adjust its actions. In May, it established the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to “calibrate” calorie rations, aiming to sustain starvation without causing death.