Say researchers; WFP warns 318 million people will face crisis-level hunger or worse next year

Abrupt cuts to development aid by major donor countries could cause up to 22.6 million additional deaths in developing countries by 2030, including 5.4 million children under five, according to a new study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and other organizations.

The warning comes as the United States, Britain, Germany and France have each reduced development aid for the first time in nearly three decades and are planning further cuts in 2025. The ISGlobal study said continued cuts could reverse decades of progress in global health and poverty reduction.

The global health research centre's report, a copy of which was viewed by Reuters, examined data from 93 low- and middle-income countries to estimate the impact of further reductions in official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, on top of sharp cuts over the past five years.

It concluded that a severe reduction in that assistance would lead to 22.6 million additional deaths, including 5.4 million children under five, by 2030, significantly higher than the research institute had estimated in a previous study that focused on US cuts.

The authors modeled both a severe and a mild scenario for future aid cuts, along with one that would have maintained 2023 funding levels.

Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned yesterday that the world is facing a deepening hunger crisis with resources falling far short of needs, citing sharp declines in humanitarian funding.

In its 2026 Global Outlook, the Rome-based WFP said 318 million people were expected to face crisis levels of hunger or worse next year, more than double the number in 2019.