Nigeria among hardest-hit as 266 million people face acute food insecurity worldwide

By ifeoma Onyekachi

A new global assessment has revealed that just 10 countries account for nearly two-thirds of the world’s acute hunger burden, highlighting the growing concentration of food crises in conflict-affected regions.

The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, published by the Global Network Against Food Crises, identifies countries including Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Yemen as epicentres of severe food insecurity.

According to the report, about 266 million people across 47 countries experienced high levels of acute hunger in 2025  nearly a quarter of the populations analysed and almost double the proportion recorded in 2016.

Conflict remains the dominant driver, responsible for more than half of all cases. Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Qu Dongyu warned that food insecurity is increasingly “persistent and recurring,” signalling a shift from temporary shocks to a structural global crisis.

In the report’s foreword, António Guterres described the findings as a “call to action,” urging governments to scale up life-saving interventions and address the root causes of hunger, particularly armed conflict.

The report further shows that over 39 million people in 32 countries faced emergency levels of hunger, while cases of catastrophic hunger have surged ninefold since 2016. Children remain disproportionately affected, with 35.5 million acutely malnourished  nearly 10 million suffering severe acute malnutrition.

The crisis is compounded by displacement, with more than 85 million people forced from their homes in food-insecure regions. UNHCR warned that displaced populations face heightened vulnerability, creating a cycle that humanitarian aid alone cannot break.

Despite rising needs, funding is declining, raising concerns that without urgent intervention, global hunger could become a permanent feature of instability.