Top 5 African countries with the highest number of food-insecure people

Acute hunger is emerging as one of Africa’s most critical humanitarian problems, with millions of people facing acute food shortages.

Business Insider Africa presents the top 5 African countries with the highest number of food-insecure people.
This list is courtesy of a report by the UN.
Nigeria ranks number 1 on the list.

What makes this problem even more concerning is the growing relationship between armed conflict and food shortages, as highlighted in the latest UN Hunger Hotspots report for June to October 2025, by the United Nations (UN).

The frequency, scale, and cruelty of hostilities in Africa are increasing, as is civilian suffering, notably in the form of widespread famine.

Armed conflict is increasingly acknowledged as a major cause of acute food insecurity in various African regions.

In Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and the Central African Republic, continuing violence has destroyed agricultural systems, uprooted rural communities, and disrupted commerce and food supply lines.

DON’T MISS THIS: UN food program office in Southern Africa shuts down amid worst drought in 40 years

Where fields should be verdant with crops, they are frequently left fallow or burnt by violence. Markets should be busy with goods, yet they are closed or unavailable owing to insecurity.

The consequences of armed warfare go beyond the immediate bloodshed. It damages livelihoods, hinders seasonal planting, and makes food transit hazardous or impossible.

Civilians, particularly women and children, suffer the brunt of the crisis, the UN report stresses.

Many people are forced to evacuate their homes, with no access to farming, income, or humanitarian relief, resulting in increased rates of starvation, sickness, and mortality.

To make matters worse, the hunger problem is exacerbated by economic difficulties and weather extremes.

Rising inflation, currency depreciation, and failing economies make food more expensive, even when it is plentiful.

At the same time, droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather, worsened by climate change, have dramatically reduced food production in vulnerable places.

When these elements mix with war, the outcome is a humanitarian disaster.

With that said, here are the African countries facing the most acute hunger in 2025, according to the UN report.