Arab States Face Highest Hunger Levels in Two Decades, New UN Report Warns

Hunger and food insecurity in the Arab States have reached their highest levels in more than two decades, warns a new United Nations report released today by the  Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The 2025 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition shows a region under immense strain, as overlapping crises—from devastating conflicts to economic pressures and climate shocks—continue to push millions of people into hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

According to the report, 77.5 million people in the Arab States—15.8 percent of the population— suffered from hunger in 2024. This marks a significant deterioration compared with previous years, even as global hunger rates showed slight improvement. The situation is far more extensive when looking beyond hunger alone: nearly 198 million people, or four in every ten, faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024. Within this group, more than 77 million people experienced severe food insecurity, meaning they had run out of food, faced hunger regularly or had gone days without eating. This figure has risen by more than 60 percent since 2015, underscoring the scale and speed of deterioration in the region.

“These are not just figures; they reflect the lives of millions of families whose right to food, dignity, and opportunity remains unfulfilled. Let us use this moment — and this evidence — to reaffirm our shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda, and to work with renewed unity and determination to achieve Zero Hunger in the Near East and North Africa,” said AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, during the report launch event.

The report identifies conflict as one of the most important and most destructive driver of hunger in the Near East and North Africa region. Nowhere is this more evident than in Gaza, where famine was officially confirmed in August 2025—one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes in the region’s recent history. Years of blockade followed by intense escalation of hostilities have collapsed food systems, destroyed infrastructure and severely restricted humanitarian access, leaving households without the means to secure even the most basic foods.

In Sudan, millions have been displaced by ongoing violence, disrupting agricultural cycles, cutting off trade routes and pushing prices beyond the reach of ordinary families. Meanwhile in Yemen, a decade of conflict continues to undermine food production, markets and livelihoods, with families increasingly relying on humanitarian assistance to survive.

However, conflict is not acting alone. Economic slowdowns, high food and fuel prices, currency depreciation, mounting debt burdens and inequalities are all compounding the crisis. Many countries in the region are struggling to maintain subsidies, finance social protection programmes or support domestic food production. These economic pressures are occurring at the same time that climate change accelerates. The region—already one of the world’s most water-scarce—has been hit by recurrent droughts, extreme heat, reduced rainfall and land degradation, further reducing agricultural productivity. Together, these forces have created a “perfect storm” of vulnerabilities that make food systems increasingly fragile.

The report also draws attention to the triple burden of malnutrition affecting the region: stunting, wasting and obesity. Child stunting remains alarmingly high, affecting 20 percent of children under five. In conflict-affected countries such as Yemen and Sudan, the prevalence surpasses 35 percent, reflecting chronic deprivation and the long-term impacts of food insecurity and poverty. Wasting affects 6.5 percent of children and remains above global targets, indicating persistent challenges in child feeding, health care and water and sanitation services.

Micronutrient deficiencies continue to be widespread. Anaemia, in particular, affects 31.5 percent of women of reproductive age and has shown an upward trend, raising concerns for maternal and child health. At the same time, the region faces some of the world’s highest rates of overweight and obesity. Adult obesity reached 32 percent in 2022, more than double the global average. This growing prevalence has major implications for public health, productivity and national health budgets, which are increasingly strained by diet-related non-communicable diseases.

One of the most alarming findings in the 2025 Overview is the rising cost of a healthy diet. In 2024, the average cost of a healthy diet in the region reached USD 4.26 per person per day (in purchasing power parity), an increase of nearly 40 percent since 2019. This sharp rise has placed nutritious foods out of reach for 186 million people, or 38 percent of the Arab population. The report stresses that food insecurity in the region is no longer simply a matter of food availability; it is increasingly a question of access and affordability, shaped by structural vulnerabilities in agrifood systems, market inefficiencies and policy gaps.

FAO and its UN partners emphasize that urgent, coordinated action is required to reverse current trends. The report calls on governments, regional organizations and international partners to act together and strengthen national institutions, integrate emergency assistance with long-term development planning, and scale up investments in climate-resilient and water-efficient agriculture. It highlights the need to expand social protection systems that safeguard vulnerable households from shocks, ensure access to nutritious diets, and reduce inequalities that are widening both within and between countries. Improved data systems, greater regional cooperation, trade facilitation and innovation are also essential elements to build more efficient and resilient agrifood systems.

The 2025 Regional Overview serves as a warning, a benchmark and a guide. It offers evidence-based recommendations and calls on all stakeholders to accelerate progress toward SDG 2: Zero Hunger. As conflicts intensify, climate pressures grow and economic vulnerabilities deepen, the report stresses that the window to act is narrowing. Collective, sustained and well-coordinated efforts will be essential to ensure that all people in the Near East and North Africa have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and affordable food—today and in the years to come.