Global Catastrophic Hunger Increases Ninefold Since 2016, Gaza and Sudan Hit Highest Crisis Level

ROME, April 24. /TASS/. The number of people facing catastrophic hunger has increased ninefold since 2016, while cases of acute hunger have doubled, according to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), prepared by a number of UN departments and agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Over the past decade, the number of acute hunger cases has doubled, and last year, for the first time in the history of the report, two cases of catastrophic hunger were declared – in the Gaza Strip and parts of Sudan. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale, the situation in these regions was assigned the highest Phase 5. According to the generally accepted gradation, there are 5 phases of acute hunger; from Phase 3, the situation poses a threat to health and life and requires humanitarian aid. Catastrophic hunger is the fifth, highest phase. Acute food shortages remain largely geographically concentrated. Ten countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – account for two-thirds of the population facing high levels of acute hunger. Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen experienced the largest food crises both in terms of share and absolute number of people facing acute food shortages. According to the report, a total of 266 million people in 47 countries/territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, accounting for nearly 23% of the analyzed population. This is almost double the proportion recorded in 2016. Extreme undernutrition remains a critical and growing problem. "An estimated 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished across the 23 countries/territories experiencing nutrition crises, including just under 10 million with severe acute malnutrition," the report stated. The situation is exacerbated by forced displacement. More than 85 million people were forcibly displaced in food crisis conditions in 2025, including internally displaced persons, as well as asylum-seekers and refugees. The level of food insecurity remains critical in 2026, the report notes. Ongoing conflicts, climate change, and global economic uncertainty could worsen or, at best, leave the situation unchanged in many countries. For example, according to preliminary estimates, due to the crisis in the Middle East, there is a risk of global disruptions in agrifood markets – the conflict is directly impacting the purchasing power of an already vulnerable population as energy and logistics costs rise.