Every minute in 2024 sees 35 children born into hunger, reported Save the Children

In 2024, at least 18.2 million children were born into hunger, averaging 35 newborns per minute, Reliefweb reported citing a recent Save the Children analysis. This marks a 5% increase from 2023 and a 19% rise since 2019, when childhood hunger began to worsen. Conflict, climate crises, and rising food costs have led to this alarming trend, with an additional 800,000 children facing hunger this year.

Countries like South Sudan, Haiti, Mali, and Sudan are experiencing severe food insecurity, while warnings of imminent famine have emerged from the northern Gaza Strip. Hannah Stephenson, Global Head of Hunger and Nutrition at Save the Children, emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian aid, stating, “No child should worry about when their next meal will be.”

The Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to see around 1.6 million undernourished births, while Pakistan faces significant climate-related food challenges, with over 1.4 million babies born into hunger.