Nigeria and nine other conflict-affected countries now account for two-thirds of the world’s population facing acute food insecurity, according to a new international report highlighting how violence continues to fuel a worsening global hunger crisis.
The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, released Friday by a coalition of UN agencies, the European Union, and partner organisations, revealed that 266 million people across 47 countries experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025. This represents nearly a quarter of the populations assessed and almost double the proportion recorded in 2016.
The report describes a crisis that has become increasingly entrenched rather than temporary, with hunger now heavily concentrated in a small number of conflict-affected nations. Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, warned that acute food insecurity has become structural, stressing that it is both persistent and recurring.
Earlier in January, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria estimated that about 35 million Nigerians are at risk of acute hunger this year.
Conflict remains the leading driver of food insecurity, responsible for more than half of all severely hungry populations. Ten countries—including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen—accounted for two-thirds of those facing acute hunger.
The report also noted extreme cases, including confirmed famines in Gaza and parts of Sudan in 2025, marking the first time two separate famines were recorded in a single year since the report began.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the findings as a “call to action,” urging stronger political commitment to scale up lifesaving aid and address the conflicts driving widespread suffering.
Hunger severity has also intensified, with over 39 million people in 32 countries facing emergency levels of food insecurity. The number experiencing catastrophic hunger has increased ninefold since 2016.
Children remain among the most vulnerable, with 35.5 million acutely malnourished in 2025, including nearly 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition. UNICEF’s Ricardo Pires warned that this condition can make even common illnesses fatal due to weakened immune systems.
The crisis is further worsened by forced displacement, with more than 85 million displaced people living in food-insecure conditions. Experts warn that displacement and hunger are reinforcing each other in a destructive cycle.
Meanwhile, declining humanitarian funding is limiting response efforts, even as data gaps suggest the true scale of hunger may be higher than reported. Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 remains grim, with ongoing conflicts, climate shocks, and economic instability expected to sustain high levels of food insecurity.
Aid agencies are urging a shift from reactive emergency aid to early action and stronger investment in local food systems to prevent further deepening of the crisis.