Bangladesh joins a notorious list of 10 countries battling the severest forms of acute food insecurity in 2025, according to the authoritative Global Report on Food Crises from UN agencies. Some 16 million Bangladeshis endured crisis-level food shortages, and experts foresee no respite in 2026 amid ongoing challenges.
Published insights from The Daily Star highlight how strife, extreme weather, shaky economies, and Middle East-induced supply disruptions will prolong suffering in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Congo Republic, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. These nations hosted about two-thirds of the 266 million globally affected last year.
The report underscores conflict as the dominant force behind hunger, impacting half the crisis-hit population. UN chief Antonio Guterres advocates ramping up aid and resolving conflicts. Five countries—harboring half the globe’s poorest— including Bangladesh, DRC, and Nigeria, face chronic food woes, compounded by weakening economic buffers.
Positively, Bangladesh saw a 32% decline in acute cases compared to 2024. Yet, the report flags deteriorating conditions for Myanmar-displaced people in Bangladeshi districts, worsened by fresh Rohingya arrivals, flooding, and reduced aid.
The broader toll is alarming: 39 million-plus in 32 countries at emergency thresholds, catastrophic hunger up ninefold since 2016. In 2025, 35.5 million children faced acute malnutrition, with 10 million in severe cases. This crisis disrupts food’s core pillars—availability, access, use, and stability—imperiling lives and futures.
World leaders must prioritize sustainable solutions to break this cycle of deprivation.
