Latest News About 2022–2023 Food Crises

Here’s a concise update on the 2022–2023 food crises and why it mattered.

What’s happened

• The Global Report on Food Crises (GFRC) and related UN/FAO-WFP analyses show that in 2022, about 258 million people in 58 countries faced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels, the highest level in the seven-year history of the report. This reflects ongoing shocks from conflict, economic pressures, and production/market disruptions.[5][7][8]
• In 2023, around 238 million people across 48 countries remained in high acute food insecurity, with East Africa continuing to be the hardest-hit region due to conflict (notably Sudan) and climate stress, while some countries saw improvements thanks to humanitarian interventions and recovery efforts (e.g., Sri Lanka, Niger).[2][4][9]
• The drivers remained dominated by conflict and insecurity, economic shocks, and climate-related events. The situation was further complicated by factors such as disruptions in grain flows and rising prices in global markets.[2][5]

Key takeaways by region and drivers

• East Africa: the region remained the epicenter, with tens of millions affected largely due to ongoing conflict, displacement, and drought conditions; in some places, humanitarian access and funding improved outcomes somewhat but needs remained high.[2]
• Conflict and insecurity: eight of the ten worst-affected countries were driven by ongoing conflicts, underscoring how political instability directly translates into hunger.[2]
• Improvements in some countries: a few locations experienced notable reductions in acute food insecurity between 2022 and mid-2023, illustrating the impact of targeted aid, social protection programs, and stabilization efforts (notably Sri Lanka and Niger).[2]

Notable caveats and context

• The 2023 mid-year update excluded some 2022 hardest-hit countries (e.g., Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine) due to data gaps in 2023, which means the published lists can shift with data quality and coverage.[2]
• Global factors such as the Ukraine grain situation, price volatility, and policy decisions around food exports/imports contributed to uncertainty about future prices and access even as short-term humanitarian relief continued.[2]

Illustrative data points

• 2022: 258 million people in 58 countries faced crisis or worse IPC/CH levels of food insecurity.[7][5]
• 2023 mid-year: 238 million people in 48 countries faced high acute food insecurity; East Africa remained the worst-affected region with nearly 65 million affected, an increase tied largely to Sudan’s displacement crisis.[9][2]

If you’d like, I can assemble a brief, cited briefing with a few core visuals (e.g., a map of affected countries, a bar chart of people in crisis by year) and provide direct links to the GFRC and FAO/WFP sources.