Between April and July 2026, an estimated 7.8 million people in South Sudan are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC AFI Phase 3 or above). This represents an increase of approximately 280,000 people compared to the September 2025 IPC analysis. Around 73,000 people are classified in IPC AFI Phase 5 (Catastrophe) and are experiencing extreme food consumption gaps associated with starvation, heightened risk of death, and the collapse of livelihoods. A further 2.5 million people are in IPC AFI Phase 4 (Emergency), facing large food gaps and very high levels of acute malnutrition, while approximately 5.3 million people in IPC AFI Phase 3 (Crisis) are unable to meet essential food needs without resorting to unsustainable coping strategies. 

The nutrition situation has deteriorated sharply in parallel. An estimated 2.2 million children aged 6–59 months require treatment for acute malnutrition, representing an increase of around 90,000 cases since the previous analysis. The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in need of nutrition treatment has also risen from 1.1 million to 1.2 million.  

Given the deterioration in both food security and nutrition outcomes, a risk of Famine analysis was conducted in high‑risk areas. The analysis identified a risk of Famine in Luakpiny/Nasir and Ulang in Upper Nile State, and Nyirol and Akobo in Jonglei State, under plausible worst‑case conditions.  

The deterioration in both food security and nutrition outcomes is driven by a combination of interlinked factors. Ongoing conflict and displacement continue to disrupt livelihoods and markets, restrict access to productive assets, and isolate populations from essential services. Humanitarian access remains constrained in several areas, while high food prices have eroded household purchasing power. These pressures are compounded by widespread disease outbreaks, poor water and sanitation conditions, and severe funding shortfalls that have reduced the availability of health and nutrition services and led to stockouts of critical supplies.