WFP: 318 Million in Acute Hunger, Gaza and Sudan in Famine

The World Food Programme, the United Nations and the European Union released their 2026 Global Outlook on Friday, reporting that 318 million people now face crisis-level hunger or worse, double pre-pandemic levels. The report confirmed two simultaneous famines, in the Gaza Strip and in parts of Sudan, the first time this century that two Phase 5 famines have been recognized at the same time.

The Hunger Map

According to the WFP, UN News and the European Commission's ECHO release, 41 million people are at Emergency levels corresponding to IPC Phase 4 or worse, and 1.4 million are at the most severe Phase 5 "Catastrophe/Famine" level. That Phase 5 group includes roughly 640,700 people in Gaza, about 32 percent of the territory's population, and approximately 207,000 people in Sudan.

The EU Joint Research Centre noted that 14 million people are in the most severe tier of food insecurity globally in 2025, continuing a multi-year deterioration.

Ten Countries Carry Two-Thirds

Per UN News, two-thirds of global acute hunger is concentrated in ten conflict-hit countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Conflict drives 69 percent of hunger, per the WFP.

The report documented that 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished in 2025, including nearly 10 million with severe acute malnutrition, per Al Jazeera's coverage of the release.

A Funding Crisis on Top

The WFP said it aims to assist 110 million people in 2026 at a projected cost of 13 billion dollars, but may receive only about half of that amount. Humanitarian funding has been declining even as caseloads rise.

The convergence of conflict, climate shocks and a collapsing donor base is producing the worst humanitarian crisis in a decade, the organizations warned.