Global food-crisis report says acute hunger has doubled over the past decade
The Facts
- The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises says 266 million people in 47 countries and territories faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025.
- The report says acute food insecurity has doubled over the past decade, with the share of affected people rising from 11.3% in 2016 to 22.9% in 2025 among the populations analyzed.
- The report says famine was confirmed in parts of Gaza and Sudan in 2025, the first time in the report’s history that two famines were recorded in the same year.
- Acute food insecurity is heavily concentrated: about two-thirds of affected people were in 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
- The report identifies conflict as the main driver of acute food insecurity, while climate extremes are also expected to maintain or worsen conditions in many countries.
- The outlook for 2026 remains poor, with the report warning that conflict, drought and shrinking aid are likely to keep hunger at critical levels and worsen food insecurity in some fragile countries.
- The report says 1.4 million people faced catastrophic conditions in parts of Haiti, Mali, Gaza, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen in 2025.
- The report says 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished in 2025, showing that the crisis is affecting children as well as broader national populations.
Context
What does the report mean by a 'food crisis' or acute food insecurity?
The Independent says the IPC defines a food crisis as a situation in which households face significant food-consumption gaps that lead to high levels of malnutrition Independent. The broader report measures people facing crisis-level conditions or worse across the countries and territories it analyzes Al Jazeera Online,Reuters.
Which places are most affected?
The report says the burden is concentrated in 10 countries, with about two-thirds of affected people living in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen N-tv,RTBF. Separate coverage also says one-third of those affected were in Sudan, Nigeria and the DRC alone Le Monde,La Presse.ca.
Why does the report warn that 2026 could remain severe?
Reuters reports that the report links the outlook to conflict, drought and shrinking aid, saying these pressures are likely to keep hunger at critical levels in 2026 Reuters. Other coverage says conflicts and extreme weather are expected to maintain or aggravate conditions in many countries SudOuest.fr,RTBF.
How left and right read it
What stands out is the human toll: 266 million people faced acute food insecurity in 2025, including 35.5 million acutely malnourished children, and famine was confirmed in parts of Gaza and Sudan. With conflict driving much of the crisis and shrinking aid likely to keep hunger at critical levels in 2026, this reads as a failure of collective protection for people in the most fragile places.
The report points to a crisis concentrated in a relatively small number of countries, with about two-thirds of affected people in 10 places, and identifies conflict as the main driver. From that perspective, the key issue is whether limited aid is being directed with discipline toward the most fragile countries as drought, conflict and shrinking aid threaten to worsen conditions in 2026.
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