The global food situation remains challenging, although it would be inaccurate to describe a worldwide famine as inevitable. According to the latest UN assessment, around 645 million people, or 7.8% of the global population, faced hunger in 2025. This was nearly 14 million fewer than in the previous year and 43 million fewer than at the 2022 peak. At the same time, approximately 2.1 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.
In 2026, the outlook is becoming more difficult due to a combination of factors. These include armed conflicts, extreme weather events, the potential effects of El Niño, high food and fertilizer prices and declining humanitarian funding. According to FAO and WFP, acute food insecurity is expected to worsen across at least 13 countries identified as hunger hotspots. Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine remain among the areas of highest concern.
Instability in the Middle East represents an additional risk. WFP scenario analysis suggests that if the conflict persists and oil prices remain above $100 per barrel, almost 45 million additional people could be pushed into acute food insecurity. Countries that depend heavily on imported food, fuel and fertilizers, particularly in Africa and Asia, are among the most exposed to these risks.
The longer-term outlook also remains challenging. UN projections indicate that around 510–520 million people could still face hunger in 2030. Affordability is another major issue: approximately 2.7 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2025. Therefore, the main threat to global food security is not necessarily a physical shortage of food worldwide, but unequal access, rising production and logistics costs, and the high dependence of vulnerable countries on imports.