The number of children facing acute malnutrition in South Sudan is likely to rise by nearly 30% by mid-2025 as repeated climate shocks,  conflict, and the spillover impacts of war in Sudan add to a worsening hunger crisis, said Save the Children calling for international funds to scale up aid.

New figures released by the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), the internationally recognised famine early-warning system, IPC estimate that 2.1 million children aged under 5 will be suffering from acute malnutrition by June next year, an increase of 27% from 1.65 million.

This includes more than 650,000 children expected to be facing the most deadly form of malnutrition – severe acute malnutrition -  a rise of 30% from 480,000.

Overall the IPC report shows the hunger situation is worsening in South Sudan, with nearly half of the population – or 6.3 million people –currently facing acute food shortages, compared to 5.8 million over the same period last year. 

This includes 41,000 people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity , with three-quarters of these South Sudanese returnees who have fled the war in neighbouring Sudan that erupted in April last year. Without urgent intervention this number is projected to increase by over 50% between April and July 2025.

With current widespread flooding and ongoing conflict, the number of people facing acute food shortages is expected to increase to 7.7 million by July next year.

Save the Children is calling for urgent actions to halt the devastating impact of the climate crisis in the world’s youngest nation, including current widespread flooding, as world leaders meet at the COP29 Summit in Azerbaijan. 

Famari Barro, Interim Country Director for Save the Children in South Sudan, said:

“Large swathes of South Sudan are currently under water as heavy downpours cause massive floods, displacing families and children. Earlier this year, schools were closed across the country as scorching temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) threatened the lives of millions of school-going children. Today, the same children are reeling from devastating floods with no end in sight to these climate shocks. 

“Save the Children is calling for urgent action to stop the impact of back-to-back devastating extreme weather events crushing the lives of children. There also needs to be an urgent injection of international funds to scale up humanitarian aid to address the major driving factors of acute malnutrition including improving the quality of diet consumed by children, improved access to safe water and sanitation services, prevention, and treatment of childhood illnesses.”

Save the Children has worked in South Sudan since 1991, when it was part of Sudan. The child rights organisation provides children with access to education, healthcare and nutritional support, and families with food security and livelihoods assistance. In 2023, the organisation’s programmes reached over 1.9 million people, including 1.1 million children.