The global food crisis expands under the impact of wars

International bodies warn about rising malnutrition and the risk of new food crises due to global instability.

The Global Report on Food Crises 2026 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that wars remain the main cause of acute food insecurity and malnutrition for millions of people around the world.

This is the seventh consecutive year in which food crises and malnutrition have remained at the same dramatic levels as three years ago, and in 2025 they were concentrated in a small group of countries. The document warns that hunger is increasingly being used as a weapon of war.

According to the report, in 2025 conflicts were the main driver of hunger in 19 countries and territories, affecting 147.4 million people, more than half of the world's population facing acute food insecurity.

According to the Global Network Against Food Crises, ten countries are home to two-thirds of the people suffering from acute hunger, among them Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. 

Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen are experiencing the worst crises, both in terms of proportion and of the total number of people affected. The report also projects that the severity of the situation will persist. By the end of 2026, thousands of people are expected to remain in catastrophic conditions in these countries: 207,000 in Sudan, 41,000 in Yemen and 28,000 in South Sudan. At the same time, the lack of humanitarian funding, which has fallen to its lowest levels of the decade, is putting life-saving operations in these four nations at risk. 

Children, the main victims of malnutrition

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) identified famines in 2025 in Gaza and in certain regions of Sudan, something unprecedented since these reports began. This situation shows the worsening of hunger and malnutrition, caused mainly by conflicts, restrictions on humanitarian access and forced displacement.

In the case of Sudan, the document shows that malnutrition levels are exceptional. In Un Baru, North Darfur, 53% of children are malnourished, with the youngest, aged 6 to 29 months, the most affected. As for the Gaza Strip, the study indicates that the population experienced one of the fastest deteriorations in child nutrition ever recorded. The number of children with acute malnutrition doubled, rising from 60,000 to 132,000 in one year, ending in famine conditions. 

Meanwhile, acute malnutrition remains a critical and increasingly worrying problem for international organizations. The report notes that in 2025 alone, 35.5 million children suffered from acute malnutrition, of whom nearly 10 million suffered from severe malnutrition.

The document shows that nearly half of the food crises were accompanied by nutrition crises due to insufficient food, disease and the collapse of essential services. In Gaza, Myanmar, South Sudan and Sudan, these factors have led to extreme levels of malnutrition and a high risk of mortality. 

Critical outlook on global hunger

Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), stated that the report's figures are not due to a shortage of food, but to a lack of political will to ensure that children have basic nutrition. “In a world of abundance, there is no reason for a child to suffer or die from malnutrition,” she added.

The report also warns that acute food insecurity will remain critical in 2026 due to armed conflicts, climate variability and global economic uncertainty, especially because of risks in food markets.

In addition, the document warns about the immediate effects on food security in the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Pacific islands, where dependence on food imports aggravates the vulnerability of populations to rising energy and logistics costs.

Furthermore, the role of the Gulf countries as exporters of energy and fertilizers could have repercussions on global agrifood markets if disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz continue.

Impact of the lack of funding

Another element highlighted by the report is that all of this is happening in a context of reduced funding for food crises, at one of the lowest levels in the last decade, limiting the ability of governments and humanitarian organizations to intervene effectively.

For their part, both the UN and the EU are calling for stronger investment in resilient agrifood systems, adaptation to climate change and rural economic opportunities.

The organizations agree that preventing hunger requires safe humanitarian access, respect for international law and a strengthened political commitment to combat conflict-related hunger.

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia