Key Takeaways
The mid-year update of the Global Report on Food Crises 2026, released September 21, flags Risk of Famine in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Food aid is projected to fall 44.5% and humanitarian aid 40.3% between 2024 and 2026, according to OECD figures cited in the report.
El Niño, the Middle East conflict and funding cuts are expected to worsen conditions into 2027, and those risks are not yet in the estimates.
The world's main scorecard on acute hunger got its mid-year refresh, and the direction is not good. The mid-year update of the Global Report on Food Crises 2026, released September 21 and summarized by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, found acute food insecurity still at very high levels across many countries as of August, with Risk of Famine identified in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
There is some progress. The number of people in Catastrophe conditions, the most severe level on the IPC scale, fell compared with 2025, mainly in parts of Sudan and Gaza where security and aid access improved. Conditions got better in 17 countries and territories and worse in 15. Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan now face very severe nutrition crises.
The money is moving the other way. Net development aid from donor countries is projected to fall another 6.9% to $152 billion in 2026, the lowest level since 2014. Humanitarian aid is projected to drop 40.3% between 2024 and 2026, and food aid 44.5%. Even the office that used to produce the report, the Food Security Information Network, closed in 2025 because of funding cuts.
The update landed as world leaders gathered in New York, where Germany's development ministry, the network and the World Food Programme hosted a September 22 UN General Assembly side event on food crises. It follows the UN finding earlier this year that global hunger fell to 645 million, a gain the aid cuts now put at risk, and private donors are trying to fill part of the gap, like the record $50 million gift to Americares.
People Also Ask
What is the Global Report on Food Crises mid-year update?
It is a mid-year refresh of the world's main joint assessment of acute hunger, produced by the Global Network Against Food Crises and coordinated by FAO and WFP. The 2026 update was released September 21 and covers conditions as of August 2026.
Which countries are at risk of famine in 2026?
The update identified Risk of Famine in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, all affected by highly volatile conditions.
How much is food aid being cut?
Citing OECD projections, the report says food aid is expected to fall 44.5% and humanitarian aid 40.3% between 2024 and 2026, while net development aid drops to $152 billion, the lowest since 2014.
How does El Niño affect food insecurity in 2026?
El Niño is expected to last through February 2027, raising the risk of droughts and floods. The Horn of Africa and Southern African countries including Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe are especially exposed.