Acute food insecurity and malnutrition levels remain alarmingly high and deeply entrenched across the world, with crises increasingly concentrated in a core group of countries, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), which was released on Friday. The 2026 edition of the GRFC shows that acute hunger has doubled over the past decade, with two famines being declared last year — the first time this has happened in the report's ten-year history.
“Conflict remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity and malnutrition for millions around the world, with outright famine emerging in two conflict-affected areas in the same year — an unprecedented development,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in the foreword to the report.
“This report is a call to action urging global leaders to summon the political will to rapidly scale up investment in lifesaving aid, and work to end the conflicts that inflict so much suffering on so many.”
The report from the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) reveals that acute hunger remains highly concentrated. Ten countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — accounted for two-thirds of all people facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
In terms of both the proportion and the absolute number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen experienced the worst food crises last year. At the most extreme end of the scale, famine was identified in parts of Gaza and Sudan in 2025 by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
This is the first time since the GRFC began reporting that famine has been confirmed in two separate contexts in the same year. It signals a sharp escalation in the most extreme forms of hunger and malnutrition, which are primarily driven by armed conflict and restricted humanitarian access and are exacerbated by forced displacement.
“It’s been a decade since this report shed light on the alarming state of hunger worldwide. Unfortunately, the situation has only worsened. Severe hunger has doubled, and famine has been declared in two places,” said Cindy McCain, UN Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), noting that the same countries are caught in a devastating cycle of hunger fueled by conflict and compounded by inadequate funding.
“We have the expertise, resources, and knowledge to break the cycle of hunger, prevent famine, and save countless lives. What’s needed now is a collective effort to end conflicts and the necessary resources to drive real change,” she added.
In total, 266 million people in 47 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, representing nearly 23 percent of the analyzed population — a proportion marginally higher than in 2024 and almost double the proportion recorded in 2016.
The report's authors emphasize that the apparent decline in the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity compared to 2024 (295 million people) is primarily due to declining data availability rather than actual improvement. The 2026 GRFC covers the fewest countries with data that meet technical requirements in a decade.
Eighteen countries and territories lacked comparable data in 2025, including several major crisis-stricken countries such as Burkina Faso, the Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. Together, these countries accounted for over 27 million people facing acute food insecurity and in urgent need of assistance in 2024.
This lack of data is reflected in the total number of people facing acute food insecurity detailed in the report. The total does not necessarily reflect an improvement in food security contexts, but rather an absence of and lack of access to reliable data, the report warns.
In 2025, the severity of acute food insecurity was the second-highest on record. The share of people facing extreme hunger remained at one of the most critical levels seen in the past two decades. The number of people facing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) has increased ninefold since 2016.
At the same time, acute malnutrition remains a critical and growing concern. In 2025 alone, 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished, including nearly 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
“Millions of children on the verge of starvation must be a wake‑up call to the world. In 2025, more than 35 million children, across 23 countries, remained acutely malnourished, with nearly 10 million suffering from severe wasting,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“This is not about scarcity of food but about the lack of political will to ensure that children everywhere have access to basic nutrition, safe water and the essential services they rely on to survive and grow. In a world of plenty, there is no reason for a child to suffer or die because of malnutrition.”
According to the report, nearly half of contexts experiencing food crises also faced nutrition crises, reflecting the combined effects of inadequate diets, disease burdens, and disruptions to essential services. In the most severe situations, such as in Gaza, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Sudan, these compounding shocks have resulted in extreme levels of malnutrition and heightened mortality rates.
Additionally, forced displacement exacerbates food insecurity.
“Forced displacement and food insecurity are deeply interconnected, forming a vicious cycle that reinforces vulnerability and hardship. Today, 86 percent of people forced to flee live in countries facing food crises, and nearly half of those countries are situations of protracted displacement,” said Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“Humanitarian aid saves lives, but it is not enough – we must invest in solutions that enable refugees to become self-reliant and rebuild their lives with dignity.”
In 2025, more than 85 million people were forcibly displaced in contexts experiencing food crises, including internally displaced people, refugees, and asylum seekers. These groups consistently face higher levels of acute hunger than host communities.
Looking ahead, the report warns that severe levels of acute food insecurity will remain critical in multiple contexts in 2026. Ongoing conflicts, climate volatility, and global economic uncertainty, including risks to food markets, are likely to perpetuate or exacerbate conditions in many countries.
In particular, the escalation of conflict in the wider Middle East exposes countries and territories experiencing food crises to direct and indirect risks of disruptions to the global market for agricultural products.
A major concern highlighted in this year's report is the sharp decline in humanitarian and development financing for food crises. Funding for responses to acute hunger and for food security and nutrition has fallen back to levels last seen nearly a decade ago.
Thus, the ability of governments and humanitarian actors to respond effectively is severely limited. Data collection has also been impacted, with fewer countries able to produce reliable, disaggregated food security and nutrition estimates.
The Global Network Against Food Crises emphasizes that food and nutrition crises are no longer temporary shocks, but rather persistent and predictable phenomena that are increasingly concentrated in protracted contexts. Addressing these crises requires sustained, coordinated action to reduce humanitarian needs, build resilience, and tackle root causes.
The GNAFC calls on governments, donors, international financial institutions, and aid agencies to scale up investments in resilient agrifood systems, climate adaptation, rural livelihoods, and inclusive economic opportunities, while also strengthening early warning systems and enabling anticipatory action.
To prevent the most severe outcomes, including famine, the Network emphasizes the importance of ensuring safe humanitarian access, upholding international humanitarian law, and reinforcing political commitment to addressing conflict-driven hunger.
Further information
Full text: Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026, Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), report, released April 24, 2026
https://doi.org/10.4060/cd9424en