Millions of people across 13 countries and territories are expected to face worsening hunger between June and November 2026, according to a report released June 17 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme. Conflict, economic pressures, and shrinking aid budgets are exacerbating long-running crises in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
The Hunger Hotspots report identifies Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Nigeria, and Somalia as countries facing the highest risk of famine. Six additional locations have moved into the highest-risk category since the last assessment.
Where Conflict Drives Hunger
Conflict remains the primary driver of worsening hunger, affecting 12 of the 13 identified hotspots. Northeast Nigeria and Somalia have joined Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine in the most critical tier of concern.
WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau noted that conflict, shocks, and disasters are forcing families to make impossible decisions about who gets to eat. The deteriorating conditions reflect the compounding impact of prolonged violence on food systems and humanitarian access.
Economic instability and currency devaluation have further eroded purchasing power in several hotspots, making food unaffordable even where markets remain functional. Climate shocks, including drought and flooding, have damaged harvests and displaced farming communities.
How Aid Cuts Deepen the Crisis
Shrinking humanitarian budgets are limiting the ability of relief agencies to respond to escalating needs. The report warns that reduced funding has forced program cuts in several countries, leaving vulnerable populations without critical food assistance.
In regions where famine conditions are emerging, the combination of access constraints and resource shortages has created a dangerous gap between need and response capacity. Aid workers face increasing difficulty reaching populations trapped by fighting or living in areas controlled by armed groups.
The scale of need continues to outpace available resources, with millions requiring immediate assistance to prevent further deterioration. Children are particularly vulnerable to acute malnutrition when food supplies run short.
What Makes This Cycle Harder to Break
The 13 hotspots identified in the June report represent locations where multiple crises overlap and reinforce one another. Unlike short-term emergencies, these situations reflect protracted instability that has eroded local coping mechanisms over years.
Displacement compounds food insecurity by separating farmers from their land and disrupting traditional livelihoods. Repeated shocks prevent recovery, pushing communities deeper into dependency on external aid that is increasingly scarce.
Economic collapse in several hotspots has eliminated employment opportunities and gutted local markets, making self-sufficiency nearly impossible. The erosion of state capacity in conflict zones means basic services, from healthcare to water systems, have largely disappeared.
The report underscores that without sustained political solutions to underlying conflicts and a significant increase in humanitarian funding, the trajectory in all 13 hotspots will continue to worsen. Famine prevention requires not just food aid but broader interventions addressing the root causes of instability.
