WFP at a Glance
About WFP
The World Food Programme (WFP) has a presence in over 120 countries and territories. We provide food and other assistance to people affected by conflict, climate change, economic crises, pandemics and other challenges. At the same time, we provide governments with the support and skills to manage food security in the long term. WFP won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 in recognition of our strong advocacy for the critical role of peace in ending hunger, and for the use of food as a tool for peace.
Quick facts
- WFP is funded entirely by voluntary donations, with US$8.3 billion raised in 2023.
- We provided assistance to 152 million people in 2023.
- WFP has over 22,500 staff, of whom 87 percent are field based.
A global hunger crisis
The year 2024 has been another of extreme jeopardy for millions of people around the world struggling to feed their families. A stream of global crises - overlapping and escalating in countries and regions - has generated an unremitting demand for urgent humanitarian and development assistance. Learn more here about the hunger crisis.
Funding shortfall and ration cuts
While global humanitarian needs are skyrocketing, funding is failing to keep pace. This has forced WFP – and other organizations – to scale back assistance and refocus on the most severe needs.
It is also getting harder for our teams to do their work, with humanitarian access restricted by conflict.
The year 2025 is projected to be one of unrelenting humanitarian needs, driven by escalating conflicts and climate and economic shocks. WFP needs US$16.9 billion to address the humanitarian needs of 123 million vulnerable people in 2025, as detailed in the WFP 2025 Global Outlook.
Main areas of work
Emergency response and preparedness
We respond to emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks, pandemics and other disasters. We coordinate responses to large-scale emergencies on behalf of the wider humanitarian community, as lead agency of the Logistics Cluster and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. We further work with partners to provide early warning and help communities lessen the impact of looming disasters. Learn more here about the emergencies we are currently tackling.
- Each day WFP has up to 5,000 trucks, 132 aircraft and 20 ships on the move, delivering food and other assistance.
Climate action
WFP works with governments and humanitarian partners to respond to an increasing number of climate-related disasters, which wipe out crops, disrupt markets and destroy infrastructure such as roads and bridges. At the same time, we take pre-emptive action including restoring degraded ecosystems that serve as shields against disasters. Forecast-based Financing allows families to buy food, reinforce their homes and take other steps to build resilience ahead of climate disasters.
- WFP aims to empower 23 million people to build resilience against climate-related and other shocks in 2025.
Ending malnutrition
Sustainable development is only possible in communities where malnutrition is eradicated. WFP's work goes beyond emergency interventions to address all forms of malnutrition, including vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. We address malnutrition from the earliest stages, targeting the first 1,000 days from conception to a child's second birthday. We provide access to healthy diets, with a focus on young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people living with HIV.
- WFP supported 27 million women and children with measures to prevent and treat malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life, during 2023.
School-meal programmes
WFP is the largest humanitarian organization implementing school-meal programmes, which improve children's nutrition and health, while also increasing access to a potentially life-changing education. Home-grown school feeding sources food from millions of smallholder farmers, increasing their incomes and boosting local economies. WFP is secretariat of the School Meals Coalition, with over 100 governments and nearly 140 organizations working for every child to receive a healthy, nutritious school meal by 2030.
- WFP provided nutritious school meals, take-home rations or snacks to 21.4 million schoolchildren in 61 countries in 2023.
Supporting smallholder farmers
Smallholder farmers produce most of the world's food and are critical in achieving a zero-hunger world. WFP's support ranges from business-skills training to post-harvest management, to opening up access to finance and roads to markets.
- WFP bought 90,000 metric tons of food from smallholder farmers in 24 countries for our operations in 2023, worth US$56 million, boosting their livelihoods and injecting cash into local economies.
Resilience building
WFP's early-warning and preparedness systems allow governments to prevent or respond quickly to crises. We help develop national capacities to manage disaster risk through approaches such as weather insurance. Our work includes vulnerability analysis and mapping, as well as support to governments' social protection systems such as cash transfers.WFP's Food Assistance for Assets programme sees people receive food or cash to meet immediate food needs, which frees up their time for work on community assets and livelihood resources.
- WFP plans to support the rehabilitation of 3 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, under the Climate and Resilience Investment Pipeline.
Cash assistance
WFP is the largest cash provider in the humanitarian community. Cash allows for increased choices and diet diversity for people, while boosting smallholder production, retail and the financial sector through increased spending and trade. It is also an effective means of giving more economic power to food-insecure women.
- WFP transferred US$2.9 billion in cash-based transfers and commodity vouchers (which are redeemed for specific items) in 76 countries in 2023, reaching 51.6 million people.
Capacity building
WFP shares skills and knowledge with public, private and civil society organizations who are pivotal to sustaining national policies and programmes. We are building governments' and other partners' capacities to manage disaster risk and improve food security, while also investing in the aforementioned early-warning and preparedness systems.
- In 2023, WFP supported 58 countries in becoming better prepared for, and more able to respond to, emergencies, through development and training related to preparedness and response systems.
Digital innovation
New technologies and innovation help drive WFP’s work to achieve zero hunger. WFP’s Munich-based Innovation Accelerator sources new ideas, pilots projects and implements high-impact innovations, by connecting them with WFP’s global network and field operations.
The Accelerator reached 60.7 million people across 70 countries and territories in 2023, working with a network of WFP country offices and regional bureaux, innovation hubs and partners.
UNHAS
WFP Aviation manages the only UN-mandated air transport service, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which allows humanitarian staff and cargo to reach the world's most remote and challenging locations.
- UNHAS transported more than 388,000 humanitarian staff and 4,800 metric tons of cargo in 2023, ensuring that 647 organizations could reach over 437 remote and hard-to-reach destinations.
Further information: 12 things you may not know about the World Food Programme / History / Who we are / Our work / Where we work / Governance and leadership