Food crises worsen in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, economic shocks resulting from COVID-19 and weather extremes

The number of people battling acute hunger and suffering from malnutrition is alarming and highest in the last seven years, according to the latest edition of the Global Report on Food Crises. The global economic shocks set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war against Ukraine, together with weather extremes and armed conflicts, are driving millions of people into acute food insecurity and malnutrition.

The report is supported by the Global Network against Food Crises, an alliance of the European Union, the United States, the World Food Programme, the World Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Bank working together to help tackle food crises.  It shows that in 2022, around 258 million people across 58 countries faced high levels of acute food insecurity requiring urgent assistance. 22.7% per cent of the analysed population was affected. Both figures are the highest since the first Global Report was published in 2016

The number of countries where economic shocks were considered the main driver of food insecurity increased from 21 countries in 2021 to 27 countries in 2022. According to the report, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen, Myanmar, the Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Ukraine and Pakistan are the world’s 10 hungriest countries.

European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen said: “The EU has reacted swiftly to the alarming situation through a combination of humanitarian, development and trade actions. Together with our Member States, we have mobilised almost 18 billion euros to help partner countries address the global food crisis until 2024. While doing this, we have accelerated our investments in sustainable food systems and launched targeted initiatives to boost local food production and our partners’ strategic autonomy . The EU is committed to work towards Zero Hunger.”

The Global Network against Food Crises seeks to better link, integrate and guide existing initiatives, partnerships, programmes and policy processes to address the root causes of food crises.

Read the 2023 Global Report on Food Crisis