Get the latest news and updates from Dawn

The Global Report on Food Crises 2026 was released on 24 April 2026 by the Global Network Against Food Crises in collaboration with UN agencies, including the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The report reveals that in terms of the absolute number of people facing acute food insecurity, Pakistan ranks eighth, with around 11 million affected people, while Nigeria tops the list with 30.6m.

However, the report does not present a fully comparable picture across countries because the proportion of the population analysed varies significantly from one country to another. For instance, in Pakistan, the assessment covered only 21 per cent of the total population — around 50.8m people from 68 rural districts — whereas in Nigeria, nearly 89pc of the population was included. Had a similarly large proportion of Pakistan’s population been assessed, there is a strong possibility that the country would have ranked much higher.

Notably, in the 2025 Global Hunger Index 2025, Pakistan ranked 106th out of 123 countries and was placed in the “serious” hunger category. Beyond these statistical comparisons, one fact remains undeniable: Pakistan’s food security situation is highly fragile and may deteriorate further in the future due to a combination of longstanding structural weaknesses and emerging domestic and international pressures.