India, Nov. 19 -- Ending hunger by 2030 would cost just $93 billion a year - less than one per cent of the $21.9 trillion spent on military budgets over the past decade, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

By 2026 a staggering 318 million people would face crisis levels of hunger or worse, more than double the figure recorded in 2019, the food agency reported in its 2026 Global Outlook.

International support for the world's hungriest people is "slow, fragmented, and underfunded," meaning that many living in the world's trouble spots will likely be unable to receive sufficient help next year, underscored, WFP.

"The poorest pay the ultimate price," said Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General. "When the elephants fight, i...