Highlights:

For the outlook period from June to October 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn that acute food insecurity is likely to worsen across 13 countries and territories identified as hotspots and are issuing an early warning for urgent humanitarian action in these hotspots.

The Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali remain at the highest concern level, necessitating the most urgent attention. Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria are classified as hotspots of very high concern and require urgent attention to save lives and livelihoods and for preventing further deteriorations. Other hotspots are Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Armed violence remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity in 12 of the 13 hotspots. In all the hotspots of highest concern, widespread and escalating armed violence is a major driver of the deterioration in food security, contributing to Catastrophe (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification [IPC]/Cadre Harmonisé [CH] Phase 5) outcomes in affected areas. In the Sudan, Famine-like conditions (IPC Phase 5) may persist due to the ongoing conflict and the approaching lean season.* In the Gaza Strip, the risk of Famine is becoming increasingly likely due to the protracted and large-scale military operations and the fact that humanitarian agencies are unable to provide adequate assistance. In South Sudan, subnational violence and political tensions are compounding macroeconomic challenges and flood risks. In Haiti, record levels of gang violence and insecurity are forcing mass displacement and obstructing humanitarian operations, perpetuating catastrophic food insecurity among displaced populations in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. In Mali, persistent conflict and very high access constraints in northern and central regions continue to disrupt food systems and limit assistance.

Global economic fragility, high debt burdens, geopolitical volatility and trade disruptions continue to deepen food insecurity in several hunger hotspots. In the Sudan, conflict drives the risk of partial economic collapse in 2025, with high inflation severely limiting food access. In Palestine, the elevated food prices coupled with exhausted livelihoods will accelerate the collapse of household purchasing power. In South Sudan, macroeconomic instability and currency weakness have driven staple food prices to levels five times higher than last year, severely eroding household purchasing power. In Haiti, the protracted economic crisis and market disruptions driven by gang violence are sustaining elevated food prices and severely eroding purchasing power. In Mali, high grain prices and ongoing conflict are eroding the coping capacities of the most vulnerable households, particularly in conflict-affected areas.

Beyond conflict and economic crises, weather extremes and increased climate variability are exacerbating acute food insecurity in many regions. Neutral El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are forecast for June to October 2025, but weather anomalies such as floods, droughts, cyclones and erratic rainfall are expected to persist. In South Sudan, above-average rainfall forecasts are heightening flood risks, while in Haiti, the predicted above-average 2025 Atlantic hurricane season increases threats to food production and livelihoods.

Currently, funding for food, emergency agriculture, and nutrition assistance falls critically short, and the outlook is increasingly constrained. These funding shortfalls, compounded by severe access constraints, risk drastically reducing the delivery of food and nutrition support in several hunger hotspots – potentially leaving millions without assistance and deepening the severity of acute food insecurity.

Funding for humanitarian assistance must not be reduced. On the contrary, urgent support should be scaled up to boost emergency food production and improve food access across all hunger hotspots. Without immediate humanitarian action and coordinated international efforts to address access constraints and advocate for conflict de-escalation, further starvation and loss of life are likely in the Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali.

This report outlines country-specific recommendations for urgent emergency responses, as well as anticipatory actions to meet existing humanitarian needs and implement short-term protective interventions before new crises emerge.