The Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026 reveals that acute food insecurity and malnutrition remain extremely high and deeply entrenched worldwide. The report, released by the Global Network Against Food Crises, shows that acute hunger has doubled over the past decade, with famine confirmed in two locations for the first time in the report’s history, highlighting a severe escalation in global hunger driven largely by conflict and restricted humanitarian access.
In 2025, around 266 million people across 47 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity, representing nearly a quarter of the assessed population. Hunger is heavily concentrated, with ten countries—including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, Yemen, and others—accounting for two-thirds of all affected people. Some of the worst crises were recorded in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen, while catastrophic hunger levels reached their highest point in recent years.
The report also highlights a worsening nutrition crisis, with 35.5 million children acutely malnourished, including nearly 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Many food-crisis regions are also facing overlapping nutrition emergencies, where poor diets, disease, and weakened essential services are compounding the situation. Forced displacement is a major driver, with over 85 million displaced people living in food-crisis contexts and consistently facing higher hunger levels than host communities.
Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 remains concerning due to ongoing conflicts, climate shocks, and global economic instability. These factors continue to disrupt food systems, increase costs, and heighten risks of supply chain disruptions, particularly in import-dependent regions. At the same time, declining humanitarian funding and reduced data availability are limiting the global response, with fewer countries able to provide reliable food security assessments.
A key concern raised in the report is that the apparent decline in hunger figures is partly due to data gaps rather than real improvements. Several major crisis countries lack recent reliable data, masking the true scale of need. This has made it harder to fully assess and respond to worsening conditions in many regions.
The report calls for urgent and coordinated global action, emphasizing that food crises are now persistent and predictable rather than temporary shocks. It urges stronger investment in resilient food systems, climate adaptation, rural livelihoods, and early warning systems, along with improved humanitarian access and conflict resolution efforts. Leaders from international organizations stress that addressing hunger requires not only emergency aid but also long-term investment in agriculture, resilience, and self-reliance to break the cycle of recurring food crises.
