Conflict, the climate crisis and economic shocks continue to drive more and more communities around the world into a hunger crisis.
That’s according to the latest Hunger Hotspots report from the UN, which listed Haiti, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Occupied Palestinian Territories as the countries with the highest level of alert.
Conflict and organised violence remains the key driver of hunger around the world. People fleeing their homes also have to leave behind their land and the chance to grow their own food. As conflict escalates, it’s getting harder for humanitarian organisations to deliver aid, further restricting people’s access to food.
Extreme weather intensified by the climate crisis, like excessive rainfall, droughts and cyclones, are also having a disastrous impact – leading to repeated failed harvests. Changing weather patterns, like the El Niño effect, mean a forecast of increased rainfall in some areas and droughts and heatwaves in others. This is likely to negatively impact regions already facing severe challenges with crop production.
Governments around the world are struggling to protect their most vulnerable people due to high debt levels. And in many countries, ongoing conflict is making the situation much worse. Weakening currencies are continuing to increase prices, making it more difficult for families to buy enough food to survive.
Hunger Hotspots: 5 countries of highest concern
Haiti
Continuing violence and a long economic crisis means Haiti remains on the list of countries with the very highest concern of hunger. And the situation is set to worsen – between March and June 2025, nearly 2 million people are projected to reach an emergency level of food insecurity.
More people are fleeing their homes due to conflict, and displaced families are living in terrible living conditions. With an above-average hurricane season on its way and crop yields predicted to be low, already critical levels of malnutrition are expected to rise.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Haiti
We’ve been working in Haiti since 1985. Our teams have provided food baskets, supported healthcare providers and helped to strengthen the community’s capacity to address and treat malnutrition. We’ve screened children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers for malnutrition.
During the cholera outbreak in 2022, we educated people on how to stop the disease through healthy hygiene, provided clean water, and gave treatment to those infected.
Mali
In Mali, ongoing conflict is pushing more and more people are towards critical levels of hunger. In Mopti, Gao, Tombouctou and Kidal, 120,000 people were projected to reach an emergency level of food insecurity between June and August 2024.
War has continued to spiral since late 2023, with violent groups creating blockades to stop food and aid reaching those who need it. Hunger is reaching catastrophic levels.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Mali
To help communities displaced by violence in Mali, we’ve provided people with nutritious food, clean water, good hygiene and safe toilets. We also continue to run healthcare services through our mobile health clinics, and we offer mental health support to people affected by the conflict.
South Sudan
Food security is expected to worsen in South Sudan in 2025 with high food prices, economic challenges and conflict driving hunger. Between April and July 2024, 2.3 million people were projected to reach emergency levels of food insecurity.
The arrival of returnees and refugees from Sudan is set to spike at the end of the rainy reason. Flooding has destroyed crops and communities, displacing more families.
Lack of resources to support displaced people is putting pressure on existing communities, who are already struggling to find enough food to survive.
Action Against Hunger’s work in South Sudan
We’re often the only aid organisation providing life-saving health and nutrition services in remote areas of South Sudan. We’ve supported more than 5,000 farmers with training and the tools to grow nutritious crops and continue to treat children and pregnant and breastfeeding women for malnutrition. We also distribute vital food baskets to families affected by floods and provide access to clean water, good hygiene and safe toilets.
Sudan
The devastating impact of conflict continues to be felt in Sudan. Since the conflict began in April 2023, over 11.3 million people have been displaced. And as the conflict persists, more people are expected to be displaced, further restricting their access to food.
In July 2024, famine levels were reported in Zamzam camp for internally displaced people in North Darfur. Many areas in Sudan will likely remain at risk of famine, with a deepening economic crisis and restricted access for humanitarian aid worsening hunger across the country.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Sudan
We’ve been working in Sudan since 2018. In 2022, we helped refugees living in Darfur and other regions through our nutrition services. We tackled malnutrition by improving healthcare systems, giving vaccinations and increasing the number of children we screened for malnutrition.
We also helped introduce early warning systems, so local communities can adapt better to extreme weather caused by climate change.
Occupied Palestinian Territories
With a recent surge in violence, famine remains an imminent threat across the Gaza strip. Conflict is continuing to destroy livelihoods, with approximately 1.9 million people – 90% of people in Gaza – having fled their homes as of October 2024.
Food systems have been destroyed, access to essential goods has been restricted, and humanitarian access has been blocked. The situation is critical – between November 2024 and April 2024, 876,000 people in Gaza are projected to face emergency levels of food insecurity.
Hunger is also likely to rise in the West Bank, where increasing violence, poverty, unemployment, forced
displacement, and economic decline are set to continue.
Action Against Hunger’s work in the Occupied Palestine Territories
We’ve been working in Gaza since 2005 and the West Bank since 2002, so we were able to begin our response in early October. Since then we’ve reached over 837,000 people, including over 709,000 through water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes.
Our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory include:
- entrepreneurship and economic empowerment for women and young people
- providing clean water, safe toilets and good hygiene – including in healthcare facilities
- providing cash so people can buy what they need
In Gaza, our emergency teams have been working tirelessly to:
- distribute hot meals and hygiene kits
- provide nutrition supplements to mothers and babies
- truck clean water to communities
- connect people with shelters
List of countries with very concerning levels of hunger
Since the previous report released in November 2024, the following countries have been added, or remained, on the the list of hunger hotspot countries:
- Burkina Faso
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Namibia
- Niger
- Somalia
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
The situation in the following countries is deteriorating quickly and they’re at risk of joining the countries with the highest levels of hunger:
- Chad
- Lebanon
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nigeria
- Syria
- Yemen
Read the full Hunger Hotspots June-October 2024 report
This article was first published in January 2022 and has been updated since the publication of the latest Hunger Hotspots report in November 2024.
