Nigeria has been named among the top ten countries facing a global food crisis, according to a United Nations-backed report released on Friday, April 24. The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, produced by an alliance of UN agencies, the European Union, and other partners, reveals that Nigeria and nine other nations now account for two-thirds of people experiencing acute food insecurity worldwide.
The report found that 266 million people across 47 countries suffered from high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, representing nearly a quarter of the analysed population. This figure is almost double the share recorded in 2016. Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, warned that the crisis has become structural rather than temporary, stating, “Acute food insecurity today is not just widespread – it is also persistent and recurring.”
Earlier in January, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria disclosed that 35 million Nigerians are at risk of acute hunger this year. Conflict remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity, according to the report. With conflicts and climate extremes likely to sustain or worsen conditions in many countries, the outlook for 2026 is described as “bleak.”
Countries Most Affected
The ten countries where acute food insecurity is highly concentrated include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen. Improvements in some nations, such as Bangladesh and Syria, were almost entirely offset by notable deteriorations in Afghanistan, DRC, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe.
Famine Confirmed in Two Contexts
For the first time in the report’s tenth edition, famine was confirmed in two separate contexts within the same year: Gaza and parts of Sudan. Approximately 266 million people in 47 countries or territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity last year, nearly double the share recorded in 2016.
The report also warns about a sharp decline in international aid. The Middle East war risks aggravating existing crises by increasing the number of displaced people in a region already hosting millions of refugees and driving up fertiliser costs. The blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil supply route, has sent fertiliser prices soaring since they rely on oil-based inputs.
Alvaro Lario, head of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), noted that the current food shock, with rising energy and fertiliser prices, will have a massive impact on production. He called for more support for small-scale farmers, including investments in water- and climate-resilient crops. Crises could be eased by farmers producing fertiliser locally and improving soil health to reduce the need for fertiliser.
