10 Countries Bear Brunt of Global Food Crisis: UN-Backed Report

A United Nations–supported report highlighted by CNN reveals that nearly two-thirds of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide are concentrated in just ten countries, underscoring the deepening imbalance in global hunger patterns.

According to the annual “State of Global Food Security” report, compiled using data from the United Nations, the European Union, and multiple humanitarian agencies, conflict remains the primary driver of severe food insecurity, outweighing other structural and economic factors.

10 Countries Bear Brunt of Global Food Crisis

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

DR Congo, 

Myanmar

Nigeria

Pakistan

South Sudan

Sudan

Syria

Yemen

The report identifies ten countries where acute food insecurity is most severe: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

Notably, Sudan, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone account for roughly one-third of those affected.

For the first time in the report’s ten-year history, famine conditions were officially confirmed in two separate contexts within the same year: in Gaza Strip and parts of Sudan.

An estimated 266 million people across 47 countries or territories faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, nearly double the figure recorded in 2016. The report warns that ongoing conflicts and increasingly severe climate events are likely to sustain or worsen conditions into 2026, painting what it describes as a “bleak” outlook.

The findings also point to a sharp decline in humanitarian funding, raising concerns about the global response capacity. Escalating tensions in the Middle East risk compounding existing crises by increasing displacement in a region already hosting millions of refugees, while also driving up input costs for agriculture.

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies, have contributed to rising fertilizer prices, given their reliance on petroleum derivatives.

Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development warned that the timing could not be worse: “We are now at the peak of the planting season,” he said, noting that higher energy and fertilizer costs are expected to significantly impact agricultural output.