Hunger is at crisis levels in countries across the globe – but where is food insecurity highest? According to the latest UN Hunger Hotspots (June-November 2026), the countries most at risk of hunger are:
- Countries with highest concern: Nigeria, Palestine, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen
- Countries with very high concern: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti
- Other hunger hotspots: Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar
In the hungriest countries where the UN has identified the highest concern, either:
- people are at risk of famine or famine has been declared and hunger is at catastrophic conditions
- hunger is getting worse and approaching catastrophic conditions
When hunger is catastrophic, at least 1 in 5 households have an extreme lack of food and basic necessities and starvation and death are at extremely high levels.
Hunger is at emergency levels when people can’t meet their daily food needs and there’s widespread malnutrition and death, or when households can only get enough food with the help of emergency support.
Crisis levels of hunger are met when households can’t meet their daily food needs and those gaps are reflected by high malnutrition rates, or people are getting just enough food to survive – but only by sacrificing their livelihoods.
World’s hungriest countries
The latest UN report has declared the countries with the worst hunger in the world as:
- Nigeria
- Palestine
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Yemen
Learn more about the hunger situation in the hungriest countries in the world below and explore the key drivers of hunger and malnutrition in each country.
Nigeria
Food insecurity in Nigeria is expected to deteriorate further due to conflict, a worsening economic crisis amplified by the crisis in the Middle East and climate shocks.
Prolonged violence in the country’s North is likely to restrict farming and trade, and in some areas cereal production is estimated to be 25-27% below average. Petrol prices have also increased by 64% compared to January 2026.
Around 34.8 million people are predicted to face high levels of food insecurity in Nigeria in the second half of 2026. The nutrition crisis in northern Nigeria is the most severe it has been for 15 years – with nearly 6.4 million children under 5 suffering from acute malnutrition.
Causes of hunger in Nigeria
- Conflict: Insecurity remains high in the northern regions, with violence and fatalities increasing
- Cost of living: Rising fuel and fertiliser prices are likely to increase transport costs and food prices
- Climate crisis: Below average rainfall and localised flash flooding have disrupted farming and reduced crop yields
Action Against Hunger’s work in Nigeria
Against a backdrop of global funding cuts and suspensions of UN and NGO projects, Action Against Hunger reached over 1.3 million people in Nigeria through our programmes in 2025. Our work included:
- Development programmes in Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, Adamawa and Jigawa states to support the prevention and treatment of severe malnutrition
- Providing ready-to-use therapeutic food to our partners in northern Nigeria
- Supporting 83 healthcare facilities with trained staff, community volunteers and mental health first aid
- Providing food, cash assistance and start-up grants to communities
- Supplying emergency shelter, essential items, hygiene kits, safe toilets and clean water to communities forced to flee their homes
Zuwaira received a cash grant from Action Against Hunger to support her farming work.
Palestine
Food insecurity in Gaza has improved since the October 2025 ceasefire, however the situation remains fragile. Nearly the entire population still depends on humanitarian food assistance and over 95% of local farming infrastructure has been destroyed.
Reduced humanitarian and commercial trucks entering Gaza continue to limit the availability of food and increase prices. Restarting local food production, restoring livelihoods and reducing the dependence on aid relies on safe, stable flow of humanitarian aid into the region. 1.6 million people are projected to experience food insecurity, with the entire region at risk of famine under a worst case scenario.
In the West Bank, food insecurity is expected to get worse amid displacement, disrupted markets and economic shocks. Restricted access to farmland, escalating violence, movement restrictions and the demolition of homes continue to undermine the availability of food.
Causes of hunger in Palestine
- Conflict: 86% of people in Gaza live within militarized areas or under displacement orders away from food aid
- Destruction of infrastructure: approximately 86% of croplands in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged
- Rising food prices: the price of basic food items are unaffordable and people’s livelihoods have been lost
You can learn more about the hunger crisis in Gaza in our What’s happening in Gaza: 8 things you need to know blog post.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Palestine
Throughout 2025, Action Against Hunger continued to work in Palestine despite severe restrictions and the loss of colleagues. Our programmes reached 1.7 million people and our work included:
Gaza
- Nutrition programmes for children under 5 and pregnant women
- Supplying safe water daily by truck
- Supporting community kitchens and supplying hot meals to those in need
West Bank
- Delivering hot meals, safe water and hygiene kits to those forced to leave their homes by settler violence
- Providing safe toilets, clean water tanks, electrical heaters and stoves to displaced families
- Responding to home demolitions by providing short-term emergency support and long-term materials for shelter
Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza.
Somalia
Somalia is facing severe levels of hunger and malnutrition due to drought, conflict, displacement and rising food prices – with the Burhakaba district at risk of famine.
This has the potential to get worse because of continued violence, a potential economic crisis, restrictions on humanitarian aid and low humanitarian funding.
A drought during the normal rainy season meant that crop production in the country’s South was the lowest since 1995 – 83% below average. Combined with rising fuel and transport costs linked to the Middle East conflict, and the rejection of the local currency (the Somali shilling) by some traders, food prices have increased sharply.
From April-June 2026, around 6 million people faced crisis levels of hunger or worse. And through December 2026, 1.9 million children are expected to be malnourished – with 493,000 facing severe malnutrition.
Abdiraham, an Action Against Hunger doctor in Somalia, shared:
“The issue of malnutrition in the country is steadily increasing day by day. This is due to the crises in the country – whether droughts or conflicts – which continue to occur in various forms. As a result, the number of malnourished children continues to rise.”
Causes of hunger in Somalia
- Changing climate: Consecutive poor rainy seasons are affecting livelihoods, driving displacement and restricting the amount of food available – El Niño might help recovery from drought, while also increasing the risk of flooding
- Conflict: Ongoing violence is disrupting trade and farming, while political tensions continue to trigger localised armed crisis
- Economic crisis: Combined rising fuel and transport costs and the rejection of the local currency, the Somali shilling, by traders in southern areas are pushing up food prices.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Somalia
Action Against Hunger have 118 staff in Somalia and last year our programmes reached over 3.3 million people. Our work included:
- Delivering health, nutrition, livelihoods, protection and WAH programmes
- Treating over 100,000 children for malnutrition
- Tackling vaccine-hesitancy
- Negotiating for improving humanitarian access by halving the usual cost of air transport
- Boosting adaptation to the climate crisis for farmers – improving crop yields by 35%
Maryan was able to buy food thanks to a cash grant from Action Against Hunger.
South Sudan
Food insecurity is expected to remain severe for the rest of 2026, driven by conflict, heavy restrictions on humanitarian aid, the climate crisis, poor farming yields and economic challenges.
Conflict will remain the main driver of hunger, particularly Jonglei and Upper Nile states where ongoing clashes continue to displace families and stop food from getting to markets. 2.5 million people are internally displaced and 1.3 million refugees and returnees have from arrived from neighbouring Sudan since the conflict there started in 2023.
The El Niño effect will have a mixed impact on the climate, with below-average rain causing the potential to reduce flooding in the country’s North and affect crop production and livestock farming in the country’s East.
7.8 million people are expected to face crisis levels of hunger in 2026, with 73,000 people at risk of famine.
Causes of hunger in South Sudan
- Economic instability: food prices are seven times higher than when conflict begun
- Conflict: violence is escalating across South Sudan, disrupting livelihoods, destroying agriculture and leaving 2 million internally displaced
- Floods: increased rainfall was set to impact 1.6 million people at the end of 2025, with sanitation at risk and food sources destroyed
Action Against Hunger’s work in South Sudan
As South Sudan’s hunger crisis continued in 2025, Action Against Hunger’s work reached almost 570,000 people. Our programmes included:
- Reaching 370,000 people with our health and nutrition programmes
- Providing 50,000 people with farming kits
- Supporting 53,000 people with cash
- Engaging 3,000 people with cash-for-work programmes to build resilience in communities
- Building or restoring 115,000 water points
Women impacted by floods in Old Fangak, South Sudan
Sudan
Sudan continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises after the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023. The widespread displacement, economic collapse and breakdown of basic services across the country that has followed since means that over 30 million people need humanitarian assistance and 13 million people have been forced to leave their homes.
Food insecurity has reached critical levels, with 19.5 million facing crisis levels of hunger, while there’s a risk of famine in North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan provinces.
The conflict continues to drive the economic crisis with the depreciation of the Sudanese Pound leading to high inflation. The Middle East conflict has also led to increased food and fuel prices, with the price of flour increasing by 17.5% over the last few months. These pressures could also potentially be exacerbated by droughts caused by El Niño, particularly in key food producing areas.
Causes of hunger in Sudan
- Escalating conflict: 9.8 million people have been internally displaced, losing their livelihoods and income
- Economic crisis: armed violence is driving high inflation, causing food prices to skyrocket
- Floods: above-average rainfall last year left many crops unsavable, and further crop loss is expected in 2026
- Infrastructure damage: conflict and flooding has destroyed farms, markets, transport routes and supply chains
You can learn more on what’s happening in Sudan right now our What’s happening in Sudan: 8 things you need to know blog post.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Sudan
Action Against Hunger has 140 staff in Sudan and last year programmes reached over 640,000 people.
With hunger at dangerous levels, restricted humanitarian access is further deepening the hunger crisis. We’ve been delivering food security and livelihoods support, health and nutrition and water and hygiene programmes across Blue Nile, Central Darfur, Red Sea, South Kordofan, and White Nile in Sudan.
We also support Sudanese refugees in neighbouring South Sudan and Chad.
A displaced family fleeing to conflict in Sudan
Yemen
Food insecurity in Yemen is expected to be among the most severe globally in 2026 – largely driven by an economic crisis, high food prices, conflict, drought in some areas and flooding in others.
The conflict in the Middle East has driven up fuel prices and increased the cost of staple foods including cooking oil. The conflict also poses risks through energy prices, food supply disruption and reduced remittances from abroad, which likely to continue driving currency depreciation and food price inflation.
2.2 million children are expected to be malnutrition, more than half of all children under the age of 5.
A further escalation in the conflict would further limit humanitarian access and disrupt food imports.
Anna Garella, Action Against Hunger’s Director of Middle East Operations, shared:
“The intensification of hostilities in the north [of Yemen] has not only aggravated the humanitarian situation by disrupting markets – including food and fuel imports – but also the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Causes of hunger in Yemen
- Economic crisis: a deteriorating economy is continuing to put livelihoods at risk and make food unaffordable for many
- Ongoing conflict: 2025 marked 10 years of conflict in Yemen, displacing 5 million people and destroying markets and food supply chains
- Extreme weather: floods and droughts are heavily impacting agriculture, leading to crop loss and infrastructure damage
- Underfunding: 19.5 million people in Yemen need humanitarian aid, but only 13% of required funding has been secured
Action Against Hunger’s work in Yemen
Action Against Hunger continues to tackle malnutrition in Yemen and last year our programmes reached over 840,000 people. Our work included:
- Supporting 40 health facilities and mobile clinics, ensuring access to essential care for children and pregnant women
- Screening people for malnutrition
- Improving hygiene and access to clean water by providing hygiene kits, removing solid waste and restoring water points
- Providing mental health support to those affected by the conflict
- Delivering training in farming, livestock herding and beekeeping to help communities adapt to climate change
Destruction of healthcare facility in Yemen, where conflict is fuelling hunger
Sources:
- Hunger Hotspots: Early warnings on acute food insecurity, June to November 2026 outlook – Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
- Country Profiles 2025 – Action Against Hunger
Page last updated: 6 August 2026
