Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, published by an alliance of UN agencies, the European Union, and partners, states that 266 million people across 47 countries experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025. This figure represents nearly a quarter of the population analyzed and is almost double the proportion recorded in 2016.
The report notes that acute food insecurity has become persistent and structurally embedded, not just a series of temporary emergencies. Conflict is identified as the primary driver, accounting for more than half of those facing severe hunger.
According to the report, ten countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen—account for two-thirds of the global population experiencing high levels of acute hunger. Famine was confirmed in Gaza and parts of Sudan during 2025, marking the first time two separate famines were recorded in a single year since the report’s inception.
The report highlights a significant rise in the severity of hunger. More than 39 million people in 32 countries faced emergency levels of food insecurity, while the number enduring catastrophic hunger has increased ninefold since 2016.
Children bear a disproportionate burden; in 2025, 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished, including nearly 10 million with severe acute malnutrition, a condition associated with a high risk of death. UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires explained that children with severe wasting have weakened immune systems, making them more vulnerable to fatal outcomes from common illnesses.
In the most affected areas—Gaza, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Sudan—overlapping crises of conflict, disease, and limited access to services are exacerbating malnutrition and mortality risk. Forced displacement is compounding the crisis, with over 85 million people displaced in food-crisis contexts in the previous year.
In the report's foreword, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent political will to increase investment in lifesaving aid and to work toward ending conflicts that cause prolonged suffering.