The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, published by a coalition of development and humanitarian organizations, warns that conflict, drought, and shrinking aid will keep global hunger at critical levels in 2026. According to the report, acute hunger has doubled over the past decade, with famines declared last year for the first time in Gaza and Sudan.
Key Takeaways
The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises warns that conflict, drought, and shrinking aid will keep global hunger at critical levels in 2026. Acute hunger has doubled over the past decade, with famines declared in Gaza and Sudan last year. In 2025, 266 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity, while humanitarian funding dropped by 39% from 2024 levels.
- Conflict, drought, and shrinking aid will keep global hunger at critical levels in 2026
- Acute hunger has doubled over the past decade with famines declared last year for the first time in Gaza and Sudan
- In 2025, 35.5 million children worldwide were acutely malnourished, including nearly 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition
- Humanitarian food-sector funding is estimated to have dropped by some 39% last year from 2024 levels
In 2025, a total of 266 million people in 47 countries and territories faced high levels of acute food insecurity. Additionally, 1.4 million people faced catastrophic conditions in parts of Haiti, Mali, Gaza, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. The report highlights that 35.5 million children worldwide were acutely malnourished, including nearly 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The severity levels remained critical in 2026, with only Haiti expected to escape the worst “catastrophic” band due to a slight improvement in security and increased humanitarian aid. Alvaro Lario, head of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, emphasized that food insecurity is no longer an isolated issue but is putting pressure on global stability.
The report also warns about the impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has added to the alarm by disrupting energy and fertilizer trade. This disruption could spill over into global food markets and worsen hunger in import-dependent countries already in crisis. Even before this latest conflict, West Africa and the Sahel were expected to remain under heavy pressure from conflict and persistent inflation.
Humanitarian and development financing for food sectors in crisis fell sharply in 2025, with humanitarian food-sector funding estimated to have dropped by some 39% last year from 2024 levels. Development assistance contracted by at least 15%. The report concludes that without a sustained push to address the structural drivers of hunger, the world’s most fragile countries will continue to bear a disproportionate share of the global hunger burden well into 2026.
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