Key Takeaways
A new FAO-WFP Hunger Hotspots report flags 13 countries for worsening acute food insecurity between June and November 2026, with Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine the most critical.
Nigeria's Borno State and Somalia were newly elevated to the highest famine-risk tier, with about 15,000 people in Borno projected to face Catastrophe-level hunger between June and August.
Humanitarian food funding fell an estimated 59% between 2022 and 2025, and only about a third of priority food-security needs were funded as of June 2026.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme warned in a new Hunger Hotspots report that acute food insecurity will worsen for millions across 13 countries between June and November 2026, according to UN News. Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine remain the most critical, and conflict is the main driver in 12 of the 13.
The newest names are the alarming part. Nigeria's Borno State and Somalia were moved into the highest-concern category over rising famine risk, per the WFP. In Borno, about 15,000 people are projected to face Catastrophe, the most severe classification, between June and August, and Somalia now carries a famine risk in its Burhakaba District.
Sudan is worse still. A risk of famine has been identified across 14 areas, and the number of people in Catastrophe is projected to climb to 200,000 between June and September, up from 135,000 earlier in the year. Roughly 19.5 million people there, about 41% of the population, faced crisis-level hunger or worse through May.
The crisis is widening as the money shrinks. Support for food assistance, emergency farming, and nutrition in crisis settings dropped an estimated 59% between 2022 and 2025, and FAO said only about a third of the most urgent food-security needs had been funded as of June 2026. Acting earlier saves both lives and money, the agencies said, warning the gap forces impossible choices.
Two famines were confirmed last year, in Gaza and parts of Sudan, the first time this century. The pattern is hard to ignore, the need rising in a straight line while the funding falls in another. WYDE has tracked both sides of it, from cuts to food assistance with lethal projections to how one charity turns $415 million into 15 million people fed. Worth watching whether donor commitments move before the November window closes.
People Also Ask
What are hunger hotspots?
Countries the FAO and WFP identify twice a year where acute food insecurity is expected to worsen, so aid can be directed before conditions reach famine.
Which countries are at risk of famine in 2026?
Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine are the most critical, with Nigeria's Borno State and Somalia newly added to the highest-concern famine-risk tier.
Why is global hunger getting worse?
Conflict is the main driver in 12 of the 13 hotspots, and worsening conditions coincide with a roughly 59% drop in humanitarian food funding between 2022 and 2025.
What is Catastrophe, or IPC Phase 5?
The most severe classification of acute food insecurity, marked by starvation, destitution, and extremely critical malnutrition. About 15,000 people in Borno are projected to reach it.