The Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026, published annually by the Global Network Against Food Crises, highlights that over 266 million people across 47 countries are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, reflecting a deepening and persistent global hunger crisis.
The report is jointly released by a broad international alliance, including: United Nations, the European Union, Germany’s Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Government of Ireland, the Group of Seven Plus, and multiple governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Data Gaps and Declining Coverage
The 2026 report flags serious deterioration in global food security data systems, which affects the accuracy of hunger assessments:
- The World Food Programme conducted 800,000 survey interviews in 2025, a 30% decline from 1.1 million in 2024, with further reductions expected in 2026.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization reduced surveys by 31%, from ~170,000 (2024) to 118,000 (2025).
- Population coverage declined significantly: with Zambia: 40% drop, Malawi: ~17% drop, Guinea: ~14% drop. As a result, data integrity is increasingly at risk, making the already severe crisis only partially visible.
- The 2026 edition has the lowest country coverage in 10 years, with 18 countries unable to provide adequate data.
- Five countries/territories (Burkina Faso, Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, displaced populations in Algeria and Ecuador) had data earlier but lack updated estimates for 2025, affecting over 27 million people previously identified at risk.
Key Findings
1. Persistent and Rising Global Hunger
- Around 22.9% of the analysed population (≈266 million people) experienced acute food insecurity in 2025.
- Although the figure appears stable, this is due to reduced coverage, not actual improvement.
- The share of affected population has remained above 20% since 2020 and is nearly double compared to 2016.
- Global acute hunger has nearly doubled over the past decade.
- For the first time, two famines were declared in a single year (2025): Gaza and Parts of Sudan
2. Concentration of Crisis
Food insecurity is highly concentrated:
- 10 countries account for two-thirds of global hunger:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen. - Among these, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen face the most severe crises in both scale and intensity.
3. Severe Hunger Categories
- 1.4 million people in 6 countries fall under the ‘Catastrophe’ (IPC Phase 5) category- the most severe level, involving starvation, death, and extreme malnutrition. This is over nine times higher than in 2016.
- 39 million people in 32 countries are in the ‘Emergency’ (IPC Phase 4) category.
- Nearly half of food crisis regions also face nutrition crises, driven by poor diets, disease burden, and weak public services.
- In 2025:
- 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished
- Nearly 10 million suffered from severe acute malnutrition
- Forced displacement continues to aggravate food insecurity.
4. Conflict Emerges as Primary Driver
The report marks a major shift in drivers of hunger:
- Conflict and insecurity are now the leading cause, surpassing climate shocks.
- In 2025, 19 countries affected by conflict accounted for 56% of global acute hunger (147.4 million people). This is up from 139.8 million in 2024 and 73.9 million in 2018
5. Declining Role of Climate Shocks
- Extreme weather events (droughts, floods) affected 87.5 million people (33%) in 2025, down from 96.6 million in 2024.
- Although still significant, climate shocks are no longer the primary driver compared to conflict.
This shift reflects the growing impact of prolonged conflicts, especially in Africa and the Middle East, where wars disrupt food systems, destroy livelihoods, and restrict humanitarian access.
6. Economic and Humanitarian Constraints
- Funding for food crisis response has sharply declined, falling back to levels last seen in 2016–17.
- This decline is occurring despite persistently high hunger levels, severely limiting response capacity.
Overall Assessment
The GRFC 2026 underscores that:
- Acute food insecurity is deeply entrenched and geographically concentrated.
- The crisis is increasingly driven by conflict rather than climate alone.
- Data gaps and funding shortages are emerging as major risks, potentially masking the true scale of hunger.
What is Food Security?
- Food Security: Exists when all people have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for an active and healthy life.
- Food Crisis: As per GRFC, it is a situation where acute food insecurity exceeds national capacity, requiring urgent action to save lives and livelihoods.
- Acute Food Insecurity: Occurs when disruptions affect key dimensions: Access, Availability, Utilisation, Stability. It can be temporary (shock-driven) or chronic (structural causes).