School meals for children around the world
The World Food Programme (WFP) promotes school meals worldwide. The global School Meals Coalition, led by Finland, France and Brazil, supports the WFP’s efforts.
The WFP supports the development of school meal programmes, particularly in low-income countries. Nearly half of the world’s primary school students received school meals in 2024. The number of children receiving school meals has increased by almost 80 million since 2020, reaching nearly 470 million in 2024.
To support school meals, governments established the global School Meals Coalition in 2021. By 2026, it had grown to include more than 100 member countries and over 150 other partners.
Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, serves as an ambassador for the School Meals Coalition.
Background
Although school meal programmes reached nearly 470 million children worldwide in 2024, WFP estimates that around half of primary school-age children who do not receive school meals are those who would benefit from them the most. In low-income countries, only 27 per cent of primary school pupils have access to school meals.
School meals encourage families to send their children to school. A lunch or snack provided at school reduces the expenses of vulnerable households by about 10 per cent. It also delays the marriage of girls, positively impacting educational attainment, health and gender equality. In humanitarian crises, school meals provide many children with their only meal of the day.
Support and funding
Finland has supported global school meals initiatives since 2021. In 2026, Finland allocated EUR 4 million in funding to WFP’s school meal programmes and activities.