Global report on 2026 food crisisThe report, released on Friday by a coalition of UN agencies, the European Union (EU) and partners, found that 266 million people in 47 countries to experience high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025 – Almost a quarter of the population analyzed and almost double the share recorded in 2016.
The report paints a clear picture: hunger is no longer a series of short-term emergencies, but an ongoing and increasingly focused global challenge.
“Acute food insecurity today is not only widespread – it is also persistent and frequent.” Said United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO)fao) Director-General Qu Dongyu warned that the crisis has become structural rather than temporary.
oppose primary driver
Conflict remains the primary driver, with more than half of the population facing severe hunger.
In ten countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen – two-thirds of people face high levels of acute hunger.
at the extreme end, Famine confirmed in Gaza and parts of Sudan by 2025 – For the first time since reporting began, two separate famines have been recorded in the same year.
“This report is a call to action,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres Said In the preface, “Calling for the political will to rapidly increase investment in life-saving assistance and work to end the conflicts that cause so much suffering to so many people“
The report also highlights that sharp increase in severity of hunger. More than 39 million people in 32 countries faced emergency levels of food insecurity, while the number of people experiencing catastrophic hunger has increased ninefold since 2016.
The number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
Children are suffering the consequences
One of the most affected are children. In 2025, 35.5 million children were acutely undernourished, including approximately 10 million suffering from severe malnutrition – A life-threatening condition that dramatically increases the risk of death.
“Children with severe wasting are too thin for their height. Their immune systems are weakened to such an extent that common childhood illnesses can be fatal,“United Nations Children’s Fund (United Nations Children’s Fund)UNICEF) Spokesman Ricardo Pires warned.
In the worst-affected areas – including Gaza, Myanmar, South Sudan and Sudan – the overlapping crises of conflict, disease and limited access to services are driving extreme levels of malnutrition and increasing the risk of death.
The crisis is exacerbated by displacement
Forced displacement is exacerbating the crisis.
More than 85 million people were displaced last year in the context of food crises, with displaced populations experiencing persistently high levels of hunger compared to host communities.
“Forced displacement and food insecurity are deeply interconnected, forming a vicious cycle,” Said Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that humanitarian aid alone is not enough to break this pattern.
Myanmar is one of the countries with a high number of people suffering from severe food insecurity. Pictured here, a family in an IDP camp in the east of the country.
decline in funding
Despite the scale of the crisis, the report warns that funding is heading in the opposite direction.
humanitarian and development Funding for food and nutrition responses has returned to levels seen almost a decade agoLimiting the ability of governments and aid organizations to respond effectively.
Additionally, the data gap is also increasing. The number of countries able to conduct reliable food security assessments has fallen to the lowest level in a decade, meaning the true scale of hunger may be even greater than current estimates.
Dismal scenario for 2026
Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 remains bleak. Ongoing conflict, climate shocks and economic instability are expected to persist Food insecurity at serious level in many countries.
The report also highlights new risks associated with global market disruptions, including those arising from the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, which could further increase food prices and put pressure on supply chains.
Aid agencies have warned that without a change in approach, the world risks becoming trapped in a cycle of deepening crises, with hunger no longer a temporary emergency but an increasingly frequent feature of global instability.
“We must move from reacting too late to acting early, and from relying solely on food aid to protecting local food production – because that is how we reduce needs, save lives and build resilience over time,” Said FAO Director General Ms.
