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Welthungerhilfe presents the 20th Global Hunger Index
Progress in overcoming hunger is being slowed by wars and the climate crisis – political will to act is crucial
Bonn/Berlin, 9 October 2025: The 2025 Global Hunger Index reveals that the international community is making minimal progress in overcoming hunger. The global food situation has hardly improved since 2016. At the current rate, 56 countries will not succeed in overcoming hunger by 2030. The food situation has actually worsened in 27 countries.
The current report includes a total of 136 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia continue to have the worst GHI scores this year. The main causes of global hunger are ongoing wars and armed conflicts, the consequences of climate change, and a lack of political will to act.
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“Last year alone, wars triggered 20 acute hunger crises worldwide, affecting nearly 140 million people. At a time when challenges are increasing, the financial resources needed to overcome hunger worldwide are being cut. The German government should reverse the planned cuts to humanitarian assistance in the 2026 budget — otherwise it is the most vulnerable who will pay the price,” criticizes Marlehn Thieme, Chair of the Board of Welthungerhilfe.
Despite these alarming trends, the Global Hunger Index shows that progress is possible. Until 2016, progress was made in all regions, but since then, the majority of moderate global improvements in malnutrition can be attributed to Latin America and Southeast Asia. Many of these countries have set up national nutrition programs, improved healthcare, expanded vocational training for young people, implemented land reforms and enshrined the right to food in law.
“Only through good governance and supportive political, social and economic conditions can we achieve sustainable progress in the fight against hunger. This requires targeted, long-term investment in resilient food systems. Wars such as those in the Gaza Strip and Sudan have led to catastrophic famines. Decisive action and international political commitment are needed to overcome hunger,” emphasizes Mathias Mogge, Secretary General of Welthungerhilfe.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,777 overseas projects in about 72 countries and territories have been supported with 5.42 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, through approaches ranging from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
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