“300 Million People Face Food Insecurity in 2026,” WFP Said

WFP (The United Nations World Food Programme) warned that the global hunger crisis is deepen-ing, with more than 300 million people facing acute food insecurity next year.
In its “2026 Global Outlook – Hunger and hope: Innovative solutions to address food insecurity” report released on November 18.
WFP stated, “Food insecurity is expected to remain at alarming levels, WFP stated, “In 2026, approximately 318 million people are facing acute food insecurity, defined as ‘crisis’ or higher,” more than double pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The WFP explained, “Among them, 41.1 million people are in Emergency or worse levels of acute food insecurity (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification [IPC]/Cadre Harmonis [CH] Phase 4+)” – a 20% increase since late 2020. Level 4 or higher on the UN’s Integrated Food Security (IPC) hunger monitoring system.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) categorizes the severity of food crises into five levels: “None/Minimal,” “Stressed,” “Crisis,” “Emergency,” and “Catastrophe/Famine.”
WFP identifies operational req-uirements at US$13 billion to assist 110 million people with life saving and life-changing support.
However, it added, “These figures are determined through rigorous analysis of the most urgent needs and a realistic assessment of the funding landscape.”
The WFP added, “Innovation is not optional – it is the only way to outpace the converging crises of conflict, extreme weather events, and economic shocks,” adding, “From AI-driven supply chains to anticipatory action, WFP is redefining what it means to deliver food security in an era of systemic risk.”
Conflict is the leading cause of hunger, with more than two-thirds of acute food insecurity stemming from conflict-related crises.
Furthermore, the WFP reported that climate shocks, economic instability, and food and energy price inflation are exacerbating the situation.
The WFP has been facing a severe funding crisis due to aid cuts from major governments, including the Trump administration in the United States. Last month, the WFP projected a 40% reduction in funding next year.
Food insecurity is expected to remain at alarming levels as we enter 2026. In countries where WFP operates and data is available, 318 million people are facing acute food insecurity.
Multiple famines are unfolding. Famine has been confirmed in Palestine (the Gaza strip) and parts of Sudan (El Fasher and Kadugli) – the first time where populations in two countries have faced famine.
Beyond visible famine, hidden hunger – micronutrient deficiencies affecting billions – weakens health systems, stunts economic growth, and perpetuates cycles of poverty and instability.
Nearly 38 million children under 5 are acutely malnourished across 26 nutrition crises, and 12 million pregnant and breastfeeding women remain undernourished.
WFP and FAO identified 16 hunger hotspots where food insecurity is expected to deteriorate between November 2025 and May 2026.
Countries and territories facing or at risk of facing catastrophic hunger include Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria are of very high concern with deteriorating conditions and large populations already facing Emergency levels of acute food insecurity.
Hunger is not just a humanitarian crisis – it is a silent destabilizer that erodes governance, fuels conflict and undermines global security.
Left unchecked, it becomes a strategic threat with ripple effects across borders. Reducing hunger, malnutrition and poverty is not just a humanitarian imperative; it is a prerequisite for economic growth and prosperity.
It is possible to prevent famine, save lives and build the resilience of communities against shocks. The first step is conflict resolution and an associated reduction in protection risks.
In parallel, immediate and scaled-up assistance is essential. Funding ensures safe and inclusive humanitarian assistance and systems are built, while technology and expertise drive efficiencies that reach more people.
WFP is not only delivering life-saving assistance – it is forging partnerships and pioneering inno-vative approaches to reach people faster, reduce costs and strengthen resilience in the world’s most complex environments.
Scaled-up AI-enabled tools in supply chain management and targeting, strengthened governance, partnerships, and enhanced employee capacity are proving a strong enabler for more efficient operations.

Conflict remains the leading cause of hunger and malnutrition. In 2025, 69% of acutely food-insecure people(219 million) lived in fragile or conflict-affected countries. Armed violence is expected to worsen food insecurity in 14 out of 16 hunger hotspots, including all those of highest concern: Haiti, Mali Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.
In these contexts, women, children, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities face heightened risks of violence, ex-clusion, and barriers to accessing food and humanitarian assistance.
Extreme weather events disrupt food systems.
Droughts, floods, and storms are more frequent and more intense. They fuel food insecurity across regions, with disproportionate impacts on communities already facing structural vulnerabilities.
In the Middle East and North Africa, prolonged dry conditions have severely impacted crop production. Syria’s production is estimated to be more than 60% below average. Half of the provinces in Afghanistan are affected by drought and regular earthquakes.
In Eastern Sudan, south-western Mali, and northern parts of the Central African Republic and Nigeria, farming communities face both dry conditions and insecurity. Floods have devastated Pakistan, South Sudan and, to a lesser extent, Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan.
The current La Nina event is likely to bring below-average rainfall to the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan, potentially disrupting incoming cropping seasons. Southern Africa will likely face increased cyclone risk. At the end of October 2025, Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean, causing catastrophic damage in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.
Economic pressures are another driver of acute food insecurity. Global growth is slowing, debt distress remains widespread, and food prices remain high – doubling in 27 countries over the past five years. These shocks fall most heavily on women, young people, people with disabilities, and displaced populations. Many lack access to jobs and social protection.
Official Development Assistance is expected to drop by an extra 9-17% in 2025, after falling by 9% in 2024 following five years of growth. WFP’s funding has also dropped by 40%, from US$9.8 billion in 2024 to US$6.4 billion in 2025. Programmes are being scaled back, rations are cut and operations are withdrawn from frontline areas. Cuts in food assistance are not just humanitarian shortfalls – they are risk multipliers that can destabilize entire regions, triggering migration surges and political unrest. High costs are putting support for people in IPC Phase 4 and 5 at risk, while preparedness for future shocks is falling.
The full impact of funding cuts is still unfolding, but evidence already shows worsening food insecurity and rising malnutrition. WFP estimates that shortfalls could push 13.7 million people into Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) hunger levels, especially marginalized groups including women, children, refugees and displaced populations already facing inequalities and limited coping capacity.

While, The World Bank suggests global leaders, policymakers, and partners can make investments to ensure the right data is available at the right time to drive informed, effective decisions. By staying ahead of this rapidly evolving landscape, we can turn insights into action and build a more resilient, food-secure future.
It said, the global hunger crisis may be much bigger when we account for the significant gaps in our food and nutrition security data, and data gaps could exacerbate the crisis.
For instance, over half of the world’s food-insecure population lives in countries lacking reliable data, leading to uncertainty in estimated global totals and hindering effective intervention strategies.
Around 70% of the global population resides in countries without sufficient data to track progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1 (ending poverty) and SDG 2 (ending hunger) consistently.
And, Since 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organization has tracked the number of people facing severe food insecurity worldwide—those who run out of food, go hungry, or endure entire days without eating.
While data availability and quality has improved globally, fragile countries in particular face critical gaps. In 18 countries classified as experiencing institutional and social fragility, only 4 have reliable national food security statistics that track changes over time.
World Bank suggests data inno-vations to address food insecurity by breaking barriers to data-driven decisions, accelerating insights with real-time data, and harnessing these data innovations for better results.
Investments in primary data col-lection are first and foremost needed to address this. To complement this, several innovative solutions are also emerging.
To combat the fragmented data landscape, the World Bank, as part of the Global Alliance for Food Security, created the Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard. This platform curates over 45 indicators from more than 40 organizations, providing a better global picture of food and nutrition security while also helping identify where data gaps exist.
New methods are paving the way for faster data. Utilizing machine learning, real-time price data is tracked in over 2,100 markets across 36 countries. This innovative approach enables immediate insights into food inflation, helping to monitor and fill in critically missing food security data gaps effectively.
Improved data systems are enhancing early warning capabilities in fragile contexts. In countries like Somalia and Yemen, new technologies are being pioneered to deliver food security analyses at a fraction of traditional costs:
It also require an action for delivering the right data at the right time to make the right decisions. To drive meaningful progress, we must invest in robust data systems and harness technological innovations to transform a fragmented data landscape into a more cohesive and actionable one. Better data leads to better decisions, and with food security conditions worsening, the need for timely, accurate insights has never been more urgent.
As part of our commitment to addressing food and nutrition inse-curity, we are accelerating efforts to equip countries with high-frequency monitoring solutions powered by advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence.
In collaboration with partners, we aim to expand the Joint Monitoring Report into an innovative, cost-effective platform for rapid, data-driven food security assessments in 60 countries by 2030.
Additionally, we are strengthening our forecasting capabilities by integrating new metrics into forward-looking databases such as the World Food Security Outlook.
These enhancements will improve forecast precision, better anticipate aid needs, and more accurately identify protracted crises and emergency hotspots through 2030, enabling earlier responses to future crises.
At the same time, we recognize that these advanced capabilities depend on the availability of high-quality primary data to function effectively.
Global leaders, policymakers, and partners can make investments to ensure the right data is available at the right time to drive informed, effective decisions.
By staying ahead of this rapidly evolving landscape, we can turn insights into action and build a more resilient, food-secure future.★