Photo by CDC on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 10 September 2025, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) published its State of School Feeding Worldwide 2024 report. It found that at least 466 million children now receive meals at school through government-led programs, about 80 million more than in 2020.
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Key facts
The number of children fed through national school meal programs rose about 20% since 2020, to at least 466 million.
Africa added around 20 million children, with notable progress in Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Funding for school meals roughly doubled, from US$43 billion in 2020 to US$84 billion in 2024, and 99% now comes from national budgets.
The number of countries with a national school meals policy nearly doubled since 2020, from 56 to 107.
Why it matters
WFP says school meals boost enrollment, retention and learning, and that girls benefit even more than boys. Because governments now pay for almost all of the cost themselves, the programs are more likely to last than ones that depend on donors.
Worth noting
Low-income countries raised the number of children they feed by 60% in two years, but WFP warns that progress there is at risk as global aid shifts and domestic budgets fall short. Coverage and meal quality vary widely between countries.
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