Two-thirds of the world's hungry live in just 10 countries

A stark new report, compiled by UN agencies, the European Union, and their partners, reveals a deeply concerning concentration of global hunger. The data indicates that a staggering two-thirds of individuals facing catastrophic food shortages are confined to just ten countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This grim reality highlights how conflict and instability have become the principal architects of widespread famine.

The report paints a disturbing picture of hunger evolving from episodic emergencies into a persistent, localized global crisis. In 2025, an estimated 266 million people across 47 nations experienced acute food deficits, nearly double the figure from 2016. Children are disproportionately affected, with 35.5 million suffering from acute malnutrition in 2025, including nearly 10 million facing its most extreme form, a condition that critically weakens their immune systems and drastically increases mortality risks.

Compounding the crisis is a significant reduction in funding for humanitarian aid, which has fallen to a decade-low, severely limiting the capacity of governments and organizations to respond. Furthermore, a growing "data deficit"— a decline in the number of countries able to provide reliable food security reports—suggests the actual scale of hunger may be considerably higher than official estimates. The outlook for 2026 offers little respite, with persistent conflicts, extreme weather events, and economic volatility expected to sustain critical food shortages, further complicated by shocks in global markets.

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Children with severe wasting are critically losing weight. Their immune systems are so weakened that even common childhood illnesses can become fatal.