World Food Programme warns El Niño could drive 49 million into acute hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says a very strong El Niño event, with an 81% chance of occurring, could push nearly 49 million additional people into acute food insecurity by the end of next year. This would raise the total number of people facing crisis‑level hunger to about 274 million, a 22% increase over the current baseline.

WFP analysis of 45 vulnerable countries highlights Central America and Southern Africa as the hardest‑hit regions, with food‑insecure populations expected to rise by 83% in Central America and nearly 75% in Southern Africa. South America, the Caribbean and other parts of Southern Africa could each see more than 12 million extra people fall into acute hunger. The agency warned that funding cuts have reduced household‑survey capacity, hampering monitoring of the developing crisis.

Jean‑Martin Bauer, director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, and Richard Choularton, director of the climate and resilience service, stressed the need for early‑warning systems and anticipatory assistance, for which the WFP has budgeted at least $80 million.