A new UN report warns that five countries face extreme hunger and potential starvation in the coming months, if no action is taken. Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali top the list of hunger hotspots, where communities already experience famine or catastrophic food shortages due to conflict, economic shocks, and natural disasters, according to a news release by the World Food Programme (WFP).
The semi-annual joint UN Hunger Hotspots report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) provides early warning analysis for food crises over the next five months. Developed with European Union support, the latest edition projects serious deterioration of food security in 13 countries and territories worldwide.
Sudan continues to face confirmed famine conditions, with 24.6 million people experiencing crisis-level hunger, including 637,000 facing catastrophic conditions through May 2025. In Gaza, the entire 2.1 million population confronts crisis-level food insecurity, with 470,000 people at catastrophic risk through September 2025.
“This report makes it very clear: hunger today is not a distant threat – it is a daily emergency for millions,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.
Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria also require urgent attention as hotspots of “high concern”, according to the report. Gang violence in Haiti and ongoing conflict in Mali continue to drive displacement very and limit aid access.
The Hunger Hotspot report calls for global action to address restricted humanitarian access and funding gaps that force reductions in food rations and limit life-saving interventions
