In 2025, approximately 118 million children have been pushed into hunger, with around 63 million—over half—driven into this situation by conflict, according to a new analysis by Save the Children on World Food Day. Unlike hunger caused by drought, environmental shocks, or economic pressures, conflict remains the primary driver of the most severe forms of hunger affecting children globally. Of the 18 million children experiencing emergency-level hunger across more than 35 crises (IPC level 4+), 11 million (61%) live in countries where conflict is the main cause, underlining the devastating impact of war and violence on food security.
Globally, one in six children now live in conflict-affected areas, a significant increase from around 10% a decade ago. Violence disrupts families’ ability to grow or purchase food, displaces populations, and destroys farmland and essential infrastructure. In extreme cases, starvation is used as a tactic of warfare, with children among the most vulnerable. In Sudan and Gaza, ongoing conflict combined with restricted access to aid has triggered famine classifications in 2024 and 2025, leaving over half a million people in Gaza and 638,000 people in Sudan—half of whom are children—facing catastrophic hunger and a heightened risk of death. Millions more children in these regions are one step away from famine, classified under IPC4 conditions.
Hannah Stephenson, Save the Children’s Head of Advocacy for Hunger and Nutrition, emphasized that famine in the 21st century is manmade and preventable. She warned that children deprived of food and proper nutrition cannot learn, play, or grow safely, and urged the international community to resolve conflicts, ensure humanitarian access, and invest in the critical first 1,000 days of life to prevent malnutrition.
For over a century, Save the Children has provided life-saving nutritional support to children in crisis, including cash transfers and safety net programs. Between 2022 and 2024, the organization reached 43.5 million children and families globally to prevent malnutrition. However, ongoing conflicts now threaten to undermine these efforts, leaving millions of children at risk of hunger and its long-term consequences.
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