Category: Humanitarian crisis

As of recent reports, several countries are facing severe food crises, with Sudan and the Gaza Strip being identified as having confirmed famine conditions in 2025. Conflict, economic shocks, and climate extremes are the primary drivers exacerbating the global issue of food insecurity.

Madagascar faces severe nutritional challenges, with high rates of chronic malnutrition affecting nearly half of children under five. This situation is worsened by recent climate and economic crises, highlighting an urgent need to address the malnutrition rate in Madagascar.

With an estimated 47% of children under five experiencing chronic malnutrition, or stunting, Madagascar faces one of the highest rates in the world. This silent crisis is driven by a complex web of environmental, economic, and social factors that have converged to create a dire food insecurity situation.

Despite being the world's fifth-largest island with rich biodiversity, Madagascar faces one of the planet's most severe food crises, with over 75% of its population living in poverty. This widespread hunger, particularly concentrated in the southern region, is not the result of a single event but a complex interplay of environmental, economic, and historical factors.

According to World Population Review estimates from 2025, over 51% of Somalia's population suffered from some degree of malnutrition, positioning it as a country with one of the highest prevalences globally. However, pinpointing the single most malnourished country is complex, requiring a look at multiple factors, including prevalence, total number of people affected, and crisis severity.

According to the UN's 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, over 295 million people across 53 countries experienced acute hunger in 2024, an increase of 13.7 million from the previous year. This stark reality reveals a complex and multifaceted challenge that extends far beyond simple food shortages, impacting global stability, health, and development.

According to the World Food Programme, more than 45 million people across 43 countries were on the brink of famine in 2021, and the situation remains critical today. A food shortage is not a single, simple concept; rather, it encompasses a range of humanitarian crises, with the most severe being a famine.

According to the UN, in 2023, 2.3 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure, and when this level of crisis escalates to its most severe, it is called a famine. Famine is an exceptional and grave humanitarian situation, distinct from lesser forms of food insecurity by its catastrophic scale and devastating health consequences. This article explores the official classification, causes, and impacts of an extreme scarcity of food on a national level.

In 2024, nearly 2.3 billion people faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a figure that remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. Understanding **where do people need food** is essential for mobilizing effective aid and addressing the complex, interconnected drivers of global hunger and malnutrition.

According to the World Food Programme, millions remain at risk of famine globally, highlighting that the impact of famine extends far beyond immediate starvation to cause profound, long-lasting devastation on human societies.