This was originally posted on wfp.org
Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Gaza remain hotspots of highest concern, with northeast Nigeria and Somalia joining the list as acute hunger risks deteriorate towards catastrophic levels
ROME – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that acute food insecurity is expected to worsen further for millions of people across 13 countries deemed “hunger hotspots” between June and November 2026.
The latest edition of the Hunger Hotspots report, released twice a year through the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), identifies Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Gaza as the world’s most critical hunger hotspots in terms of severity and magnitude of hunger. Northeast Nigeria has been added to the list of highest concern, following projections indicating that populations in Borno State may face Catastrophe levels of acute food insecurity (defined as an extreme lack of food / other basic needs, with starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels evident) during the upcoming period covered by the report. Somalia has also been placed in this category with populations in the Bay region of Burhakaba District facing a risk of Famine.
Armed conflict and violence remain the primary drivers of acute food insecurity, affecting 12 of the 13 hotspots. These pressures are compounded by economic shocks, severe funding shortfalls and growing risks linked to a forecast El Niño event, which is expected to bring uneven rainfall, droughts, and flooding across countries with already high vulnerability.
The warning comes at a time of unprecedented funding shortfalls for humanitarian response. Funding for food assistance, emergency agricultural assistance and nutrition in food crises has declined by an estimated 59 percent between 2022 and 2025, returning to levels last seen nearly a decade ago. At the same time, the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in these countries has risen to around 266 million.
The report also warns that additional shocks are worsening the outlook for millions. This is due to recent events such as the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East and the Ebola outbreak in areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These added shocks risk further disrupting livelihoods, markets and humanitarian access.
“We already know where the next hunger emergencies will occur,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol. “The challenge is whether we act early enough and at the necessary scale. When farmers cannot plant, herders lose their animals and markets are disrupted, food insecurity deepens quickly. Early investment in emergency agricultural assistance and resilience is one of the most cost-effective ways to protect livelihoods, sustain local food production and reduce future humanitarian needs.”
“The warnings in this report cannot be ignored,” said WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau. “Conflict, shocks, and disasters are forcing families to make impossible decisions about who gets to eat and who goes to bed hungry. Without action now, millions more are expected to face worsening levels of hunger in the months ahead, pushing some closer to famine. Our teams are ready to respond at speed and scale. We need resources to deliver food and access to reach people before hunger turns into catastrophe.”
Hotspots of highest concern
(A definition of IPC levels of food insecurity — crisis, emergency, and catastrophe/famine — is included at the bottom of this release).
In Sudan, a risk of Famine has been identified in 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan through September 2026, and is expected to persist in 13 areas through the harvest period into January 2027. An estimated 19.5 million people — 41 percent of the population — faced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) through May 2026, including 5 million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). The situation is expected to worsen further, with the number of people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) projected to rise to 200,000 across 15 areas in June–September 2026, up from 135,000 in February–May 2026.
In South Sudan, 7.8 million people — 55 percent of the population — are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and July 2026, including 2.5 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and approximately 73,000 people facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Four counties are projected to face the risk of Famine through July 2026.
In Yemen, acute food insecurity is expected to remain among the most severe globally in 2026. In earlier estimates, 18.3 million people were projected to face crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, representing over half the population. This includes 5.5 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 41,000 people projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in Sanaa-based authority-controlled areas in 2026. According to more recent partial analysis, nearly 5.4 million people in Government-controlled areas are projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity between June and September 2026.
In Northeast Nigeria the outlook is most severe in Borno State, where 15,000 people are projected to face Catastrophe (CH Phase 5) during June-August 2026. Around 2.3 million people remain internally displaced across the North East.
In Gaza, conditions in the Gaza Strip have improved since the October 2025 ceasefire but remain fragile. The entire territory faced a risk of Famine through mid-April 2026, with 1.6 million people acutely food insecure and requiring urgent assistance (77 percent of the population analysed) including over half a million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 1900 people projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). No projection was available covering the Hunger Hotspots outlook period of June to November 2026 at the time of the report’s drafting.
In Somalia, around 6 million people were projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between April and June 2026, including nearly 1.9 million projected to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels. There is also now a risk of Famine identified in Burhakaba District. This reflects the broader deterioration in acute food insecurity conditions in the country, stemming from multiple years of drought, record-low crop production, conflict and the ripple effects of the Middle East conflict.
Hotspots of very high concern
Afghanistan remains a hotspot of very high concern, facing consecutive droughts, high food prices, and escalating conflict.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, acute food insecurity remains severe, driven by conflict in eastern provinces and large-scale displacement. The resurgence of Ebola is adding a dangerous new layer of risk, threatening to worsen acute hunger by disrupting markets, mobility and humanitarian operations.
Haiti, previously among hotspots of highest concern, has moved into the very high concern category, reflecting limited and localized improvements including slowing inflation and better access along some road corridors, though conditions remain very fragile.
Other hotspots
Myanmar and Mali are identified as hotspots, where conditions are expected to deteriorate as conflict, economic pressures and climate variability compound vulnerability. Lebanon and Madagascar have been added to the list of hotspots as a result of the escalation of hostilities in late February 2026 and adverse and erratic weather conditions, respectively.
Overall, the report points to a worsening outlook for millions of people in the second half of 2026, with unprecedented levels of catastrophic hunger persisting or threatening multiple contexts. It also highlights the importance of acting early to prevent the most severe outcomes.
What needs to be done
Through the Global Network Against Food Crises, FAO and WFP are calling for urgent, coordinated action to scale up humanitarian assistance, ensure safe access, invest in livelihoods and strengthen resilience.
The report underscores that early action saves lives, protects livelihoods and is significantly more cost-effective than responding after crises have escalated. Without stronger political commitment, predictable financing and collective action, hunger crises are likely to deepen across the world’s most vulnerable regions in the months ahead.
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Note on IPC levels
IPC3 refers to “crisis” levels of food insecurity, in which households either have food consumption gaps that are reflected by high or above-usual acute malnutrition; or are marginally able to meet minimum food needs but only by depleting essential livelihood assets or through crisis-coping strategies
IPC4 refers to “emergency” levels of food insecurity in which households either have large food consumption gaps which are reflected in very high acute malnutrition and excess mortality; or are able to mitigate large food consumption gaps but only by employing emergency livelihood strategies and asset liquidation.
IPC5 refers to “catastrophe/famine” levels of food insecurity in which households have an extreme lack of food and/or other basic needs even after full employment of coping strategies. Starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident. (For Famine classification, an area needs to have extreme critical levels of acute malnutrition and mortality).
Note to Editors
Identified through forward-looking analysis, ‘hunger hotspots’ are areas where acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate during the outlook period. They are selected through a consensus-based process involving WFP and FAO field and technical teams, alongside analysts specialized in conflict, economic risks and natural hazards. The report is part of a series produced under the Global Network Against Food Crises, including the recently-published 2026 Global Report on Food Crises.
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO works across more than 130 countries to transform agrifood systems, making them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
