UN Report Reveals Ten Nations House Two-Thirds of Global Hunger Crisis

A recent international report supported by the United Nations indicates that ten nations accounted for two-thirds of the world’s population suffering from severe food shortages last year.

Sudan, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo were identified as home to one-third of these individuals.

The Global Report on Food Crises, which gathers information from the UN, the EU, and various aid organizations, identified war as the primary cause of this widespread hunger.

The outlook for 2026 remains pessimistic, as persistent fighting and extreme weather patterns are expected to exacerbate current conditions.

The nations most impacted by acute food insecurity include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen.

While conditions improved in areas like Bangladesh and Syria, these gains were negated by worsening crises in locations such as Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and the DRC.

For the first time in the report’s decade-long history, famine has been officially documented in two separate regions: Gaza and parts of Sudan.

Data shows that 266 million people across 47 territories faced critical food scarcity last year, nearly doubling the figures reported in 2016.

The report also highlighted a reduction in global assistance and noted that conflict in the Middle East is driving up costs for essential resources like fertilizer.

Alvaro Lario, president of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, warned that rising energy and fertilizer expenses will severely hamper agricultural production.

He advocated for increased support for small-scale farmers, specifically through investments in climate-resilient crops, local fertilizer production, and private sector incentives to ensure long-term food stability.