KHARTOUM (Reuters) - More than a third of Sudan's population is currently facing acute food insecurity, the World Food Programme said on Thursday, with inadequate funds to cope.

The U.N. agency said that number, 15 million people, was up seven percentage points from last year, or about 3 million people. It stood to increase to 18 million, or 40% of the population, by September if current trends continue.

"The combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, economic and political crises, rising costs and poor harvests are pushing millions of people deeper into hunger and poverty,’ Eddie Rowe, WFP representative in Sudan, said in a statement. "However, funding levels are not matching the humanitarian needs."

Those going hungry were concentrated in conflict zones, particularly among the Darfur states. The highest proportion was in the Kreinik locality, which has seen multiple waves of violence.

In a separate statement, Plan International, Save the Children, UNICEF, and World Vision warned that 3 million Sudanese children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition and that about 375,000 could die this year without treatment.