The world is facing a dramatic escalation of hunger, with 266 million people experiencing acute food insecurity in 2025, according to the Global Report on Food Crises 2026, produced by the FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and international partners. The report, which has become a global reference for monitoring hunger, reveals not only the persistence of the crisis but also its worsening amid conflicts, inequality and declining international support.
In the foreword, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issues a stark warning: “hunger is increasingly being used as a weapon of war,” highlighting the political and geopolitical nature of today’s food crisis.
Conflicts drive and deepen hunger worldwide
The report identifies conflict and insecurity as the leading causes of hunger in 2025, affecting more than 147 million people—more than half of all cases globally. Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar are among the countries experiencing the most severe conditions.
The scale of the problem is compounded by an unprecedented development: extreme hunger (Phase 5, corresponding to catastrophic famine conditions) was confirmed simultaneously in two regions—the Gaza Strip and Sudan. This is the first time such a situation has been recorded since international measurements began.
More than 1.4 million people are living in these extreme circumstances, facing an immediate risk of death from starvation. In addition, approximately 39 million people are experiencing a food emergency, one stage below complete collapse.
International system fails in the face of crisis
The report also exposes a serious contradiction: as hunger rises, global humanitarian funding has fallen to levels comparable to those of 2016–2017. This decline comes precisely as the need for aid reaches historic highs.
Reduced resources have direct consequences: less access to food, interruptions to assistance programs and, above all, weakened hunger-monitoring systems, making fast and effective responses more difficult.
According to the report, an emerging “data crisis” is being caused by inadequate funding, restricted access to conflict areas and loss of technical capacity. This undermines evidence-based decision-making.
Structural crisis: climate, economy and inequality
Beyond conflict, two other structural drivers are fueling global hunger:
• Extreme weather events, affecting some 87.5 million people, including severe droughts, flooding and cyclones;
• Economic shocks, affecting nearly 30 million people through high food inflation, currency depreciation and declining purchasing power.
These factors combine and reinforce one another. In many countries, hunger results simultaneously from war, economic crisis and climate breakdown, creating conditions of permanent vulnerability.
The report also notes that more than 80% of affected people live in countries facing protracted crises, where successive shocks prevent sustained recovery.
Children and women among the hardest hit
The global food crisis has devastating effects on the most vulnerable groups. The report estimates that:
• 35.5 million children suffer from acute malnutrition;
• Nearly 10 million are severely affected;
• 9.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women also face malnutrition.
These figures reveal the crisis’s intergenerational impact, with lasting consequences for health, cognitive development and economic productivity.
Forced displacement worsens food insecurity
Mass displacement is another critical factor. In 2025, 85.1 million people were forcibly displaced in countries experiencing food crises.
The report shows that hunger is more severe among displaced populations than among residents, reflecting losses of income, food access and social safety nets.
Hunger concentrated in a handful of countries
The global food crisis is highly concentrated: just 10 countries account for two-thirds of people facing acute hunger. They include Nigeria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan and Yemen.
In proportional terms, some places are experiencing extreme levels:
• At one point, 100% of the Gaza Strip’s population was experiencing a food crisis;
• More than half the populations of South Sudan and Yemen are affected.
A global and political warning
The 2026 report underscores that hunger is not only a humanitarian problem, but a political and economic one. The recent escalation is directly linked to wars, global instability and structural inequalities.
Its central message is clear: without coordinated action, international investment and conflict resolution, hunger is likely to deepen further.
More than a diagnosis, the document serves as an urgent warning about the direction of the global system—and the risk of normalizing a tragedy affecting hundreds of millions of people.
Source: brasil247.com
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