Ending Hunger: What would it cost?

The report estimates that ending world hunger by 2030 will require an average of USD 11 billion in additional annual public spending, with USD 4 billion provided by donors and USD 7 billion by poor countries. This investment is projected to trigger an additional USD 5 billion in annual private investment. The analysis focuses on three intervention categories: social safety nets, farm support, and rural development. Using a sample of seven African countries to extrapolate global costs, the report identifies that Africa, particularly Central and South East Africa, will require the highest level of support, with some countries depending on donors for over 90 per cent of their budgets.

• To achieve the goal of ending hunger by 2030, an average of USD 11 billion in additional annual public spending is required. Of this, USD 4 billion must come from donors and USD 7 billion from poor countries. This represents a 45 per cent increase over the current annual donor spending of USD 8.6 billion.
• The additional public spending required to end hunger is expected to stimulate an average of USD 5 billion in additional private investment every year until 2030.
• The report's cost analysis focuses on three specific intervention categories: social safety nets (cash transfers and food stamps), farm support (subsidies, R&D, and technology), and rural development (infrastructure and market access). These categories account for 84 per cent of current donor spending on food and nutrition security.
• In a 'business-as-usual' scenario (BAU) considering current economic growth and donor contributions, 600 million people are estimated to remain hungry by 2030, compared to 800 million in 2015. Without any further growth or donor contributions, the number of hungry people is projected to exceed 1 billion by 2030.
• Analysis of seven representative African countries (Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) shows an average additional cost of USD 1 billion per year to end hunger, with USD 400 million coming from donors. This is expected to trigger USD 2.8 billion in private agricultural investment.
• Donor dependency varies significantly by country income levels. For example, Malawi is projected to depend on donors for 90 per cent of its public budget in 2030, while Nigeria is expected to depend on donors for less than 10 per cent.
• Africa requires the highest level of support, particularly Central and South East Africa. Some countries, including South Sudan, Eritrea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will depend on donor support for more than 90 per cent of their public budgets.

APA

Laborde, D., Bizikova, L., Lallemant, T., & Smaller, C. (2016). Ending Hunger: What would it cost? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ending-hunger-what-would-it-cost.pdf

Chicago

Laborde, David, Livia Bizikova, Tess Lallemant, and Carin Smaller. Ending Hunger: What would it cost? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ending-hunger-what-would-it-cost.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Laborde |first1=David |last2=Bizikova |first2=Livia |last3=Lallemant |first3=Tess |last4=Smaller |first4=Carin |title=Ending Hunger: What would it cost? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ending-hunger-what-would-it-cost.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{laborde2016ending, author = {Laborde, David and Bizikova, Livia and Lallemant, Tess and Smaller, Carin}, title = {{Ending Hunger: What would it cost?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ending-hunger-what-would-it-cost.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }