Afghanistan Among Top 10 Countries Facing Severe Hunger Crisis, FAO Reports
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has revealed in a recent report that nearly 266 million people across 47 countries worldwide will face severe food insecurity by 2025, a figure almost double that of 2016. Afghanistan, alongside countries such as Bangladesh, Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, is listed among the top ten countries that together account for two-thirds of the world’s hungry population.
According to the report, the number of people classified at Phase 5 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — described as “catastrophic hunger” — has increased more than ninefold since 2016. This phase represents the highest level of food crisis, signaling a serious risk of death due to starvation and malnutrition.
In Afghanistan and other conflict-affected countries, approximately 35.5 million children suffer from severe malnutrition, and over 85 million people have been displaced. Experts have warned that ongoing cuts to humanitarian funding could exacerbate the situation and limit millions’ access to essential aid.
Afghanistan tops this crisis amid intensified poverty, unemployment, and economic restrictions following the Taliban’s return to power. Aid organizations have repeatedly stressed that lack of transparent planning, restrictions on women’s work, and reduced international financial engagement have severely hampered efforts to assist those in need.
The FAO report emphasizes that without immediate intervention and sustainable financial resources, the food security outlook in vulnerable countries, especially Afghanistan, will remain dire.
