Latest News About 2022–2023 Food Crises

Here’s a concise update on the latest developments related to the 2022–2023 food crises.

Short answer

• The global hunger situation remained severe through 2023, with hundreds of millions of people in 48 countries facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Conflicts, economic shocks, and climate-related events continued to drive food crises, and while some countries saw improvements, many regions remained at risk into 2024 and beyond. [Sources: Global Report on Food Crises mid-2023 updates and FAO/WFP reporting]

Context and key takeaways

• Scale and geography
  • As of mid-2023, about 238 million people in 48 food crisis countries faced high acute food insecurity (the most severe category of hunger), with East Africa repeatedly identified as the hardest-hit region due to ongoing conflict and displacement. [Mid-year GFRC 2023 updates]
  • The 10 countries most affected in 2023 included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Sudan, and Somalia, according to the GFRC assessments. Note that data coverage for some countries varied, and others including Ukraine and Syria featured prominently in 2022 but were not always included in the 2023 mid-year update due to data gaps. [GFRC 2023 summaries]
• Drivers
  • Conflict and insecurity remained the dominant driver of acute food insecurity in the period, with disruptions to livelihoods, displacement, and damage to agricultural infrastructure sustaining hunger cycles. Economic shocks and price volatility, partly linked to the war in Ukraine and sanctions, also contributed to food-access constraints. [GFRC 2023 findings; EU/FAO-WFP summaries]
• Regional dynamics
  • East Africa was repeatedly highlighted as the region worst affected in 2023, driven by conflict in Sudan and related displacement. Some countries, such as Sri Lanka and Niger, showed notable improvements in certain indicators, but gains were uneven and not universal. [GFRC 2023 mid-year data; EU knowledge base]
• Global market and policy context
  • Developments affecting global grain shipments and export corridors (e.g., disruptions to grain initiatives and related geopolitical events) were seen as potential risks to prices and food access in 2023–2024. [GFRC discussions; EU sources]
• 2024–2025 outlook
  • With ongoing humanitarian responses and shifting political contexts in crisis-affected countries, the outlook remained contingent on conflict resolution, climate resilience, and sustained humanitarian financing. Data gaps in 2024 limited full-country comparability, but the overall pattern of elevated hunger persisted. [GFRC 2023–2024 narrative; FAO/WFP updates]

Illustrative example

• In Haiti, acute hunger spiked in 2022 amid political turmoil, elevated living costs, and violence, illustrating how intertwined governance and economic factors amplify food insecurity even when global supply conditions are favorable. [GFRC 2022–2023 summaries]

Would you like:

• A short, sourced timeline of the 2022–2023 food crises with key dates and numbers?
• A country-by-country snapshot focusing on the top 10 affected countries and the latest available figures?
• A chart showing changes in the number of people in high acute food insecurity from 2022 to mid-2023 (if you’d like a visualization, I can generate a PNG).