Nigeria tops global hunger hot spots list; 32 million face acute food crisis

Nigeria has emerged as the epicenter of the world’s worsening hunger crisis, with 31.8 million people projected to face acute food insecurity in 2026, according to a new report by U.S.-based humanitarian group Action Against Hunger.

The figure makes Nigeria the single largest food crisis globally, more than India who is several times more populous, underscoring the scale of economic strain and insecurity battering Africa’s most populous nation.

The organization’s 2026 Global Hunger Hot Spots report, which draws on data from the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World and the Global Report on Food Crises, estimates that 295 million people across 59 countries are facing acute food insecurity. Nearly two-thirds of them live in just 10 countries — with Nigeria topping the list.

In northeastern states such as Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, more than 15 years of insurgency linked to Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have devastated farming communities and disrupted food production. The crisis deepened in 2024 when severe flooding destroyed an estimated 1.1 million hectares of farmland, compounding already fragile supply chains.

The humanitarian fallout is stark. An estimated 5.4 million Nigerian children are suffering from acute malnutrition, while inflation hovering around 35% has eroded purchasing power, forcing families to choose between food, medicine and shelter.

“Conflict, climate shocks and economic collapse are pushing millions to the brink,” the report said, warning that funding shortfalls could further escalate conditions in 2026.

Crisis Multiplier

Nigeria’s ranking places it ahead of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which each have 25.6 million people facing acute food insecurity amid conflict and displacement. But unlike Sudan, where famine has already been declared in some regions, Nigeria’s crisis is being driven by a volatile mix of insecurity, extreme weather and macroeconomic instability, the report said.

The report highlights climate change as a “crisis multiplier.” Erratic rainfall, floods and prolonged dry spells are undermining agricultural output in vulnerable regions. In Nigeria’s riverine and northern farming belts, recurring climate shocks have collided with insecurity, limiting farmers’ ability to plant and harvest safely.

At the same time, international humanitarian financing is shrinking. The United States recently announced an 83% reduction in USAID humanitarian programs, with additional cuts from major European donors. A Lancet study cited in the report estimated that USAID-funded programs saved more than 90 million lives over two decades. Sustained reductions, it warned, could result in millions of preventable deaths globally by 2030.

For Nigeria, which relies heavily on donor-funded nutrition and emergency food programs in conflict-affected regions, the implications are severe. Aid agencies caution that reduced funding may force the closure of health and nutrition facilities, cutting off lifelines for vulnerable children and pregnant women.

Across the 13 most critical hunger contexts identified globally, nearly 30 million children are acutely malnourished, including 8.5 million at severe risk of death without treatment. Nigeria accounts for a significant share of that burden.

Action Against Hunger said the crisis remains preventable with coordinated intervention, including climate adaptation in agriculture, protection for vulnerable groups and sustained humanitarian funding.

But with insecurity persisting in the northeast, inflation squeezing households nationwide and global aid budgets under pressure, Nigeria’s food crisis risks deepening in 2026 – a development that could further strain social stability in Africa’s largest economy.