Bangladesh among 10 countries home to two-thirds of world’s most hungry: UN report
Improvements in some countries, such as Bangladesh and Syria, were "almost fully offset by notable deteriorations" in Afghanistan, DRC, Myanmar and Zimbabwe.
Although acute food insecurity eased modestly in Bangladesh, the country remained among ten nations accounting for two-thirds of people facing acute food crises globally in 2025, according to the latest Global Report on Food Crises released today (24 April).
"Acute food insecurity remains highly concentrated [in] 10 countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen," the report said.
The joint assessment by the FAO and the WFP found that Bangladesh recorded one of the most notable declines in severe food insecurity among crisis-hit countries.
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The number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in Bangladesh fell by around 7.6 million, marking a 32% decrease compared with 2024, the report said.
This improvement was largely attributed to the absence of major natural disasters in early 2025, easing food inflation and a rise in remittance inflows.
However, the gains remain uneven and fragile. Around 16 million people in Bangladesh continued to experience crisis-level or worse food insecurity.
The situation is particularly acute in districts hosting Rohingya refugees, where food insecurity worsened despite national-level improvements.
The report said conditions deteriorated among displaced Myanmar nationals in camps due to fresh influxes, flooding and reduced humanitarian assistance.
The report warned that funding shortfalls could reverse progress in Bangladesh, where improvements are closely tied to external support and stable macroeconomic conditions.
Globally, the report shows around 266 million people across 47 countries faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, representing 22.9% of the analysed population.
Conflict remained the leading driver, affecting more than half of those facing severe hunger. Weather extremes and economic shocks also continued to worsen food crises worldwide.
In South Asia, acute food insecurity generally worsened in 2025 due to conflict, economic stress, climate shocks and shrinking humanitarian support.
In Myanmar, food insecurity deepened due to prolonged conflict, the impact of a major earthquake and severe funding shortfalls.
Afghanistan also saw a worsening situation, with more people falling into acute food insecurity. The report attributes this to prolonged economic decline, recurring drought and the return of refugees, alongside reduced aid flows.
Overall, South Asia and the Pacific accounted for around 65 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, roughly 23% of the analysed population in the region.
