Pakistan remains among the world’s most food-insecure countries, with nearly 11 million people experiencing acute food insecurity in 2025, the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises finds. The report places Pakistan among the ten countries facing the most severe acute hunger, alongside Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen.
Of the almost 11 million affected, about 9.3 million were classified in the “crisis” phase and roughly 1.7 million in the “emergency” phase — one step below famine on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale. The situation reflects a mix of economic vulnerability and intensifying climate shocks.
Last year’s unusually heavy monsoon rains and flash floods affected more than six million people, destroying crops and damaging critical infrastructure in already fragile regions. Although some reductions were seen in the number of people at the very worst hunger levels, those gains are fragile. Rising inflation, projected at about 6 percent, and ongoing environmental stress risk reversing progress.
The report highlights serious nutrition shortfalls in provinces such as Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, but also notes that Pakistan lacks up-to-date nutrition data and is listed among countries with incomplete nutrition classification. Longstanding structural problems — limited access to healthcare, unsafe water supplies and poor diets — compound the food and nutrition crisis. The country’s large displaced populations, including Afghan refugees, add further pressure on already stretched resources.
Part of the apparent increase in food insecurity stems from expanded data coverage: the assessment now includes 68 districts, up from 43, raising population coverage from 16 to 21 percent and bringing more affected communities into the analysis. That expansion makes direct year-to-year comparisons more complex and underscores the need for improved, timely data to guide effective responses.
