Nigeria has recorded the largest increase in acute food insecurity globally in 2024, according to the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises published by the Global Network Against Food Crises in collaboration with the Food Security Information Network and UNICEF.
The report ranked Nigeria first among 10 countries with the highest numbers of people facing severe acute food insecurity.
Armed conflict, soaring inflation, and other factors pushed an additional 6.9 million Nigerians into acute food insecurity, bringing the total number of affected people to approximately 31.8 million.
“In West Africa and the Sahel, Nigeria saw an increase of 6.9 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, raising the total to 31.8 million.
“This surge is attributed to the resurgence and expansion of conflicts, high inflation, and improved data coverage,” the report stated.
In Sudan, 25.6 million people are affected, showing a significant rise driven by ongoing conflict and displacement. The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 25.6 million people facing acute food insecurity.
In Bangladesh, 23.6 million people are affected. Ethiopia has 22 million people experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.
These countries topped the list in terms of the absolute number of people affected by severe hunger in 2024
This comes a few weeks after the International Monetary Fund reported that poverty and food insecurity remain high under Mr Tinubu’s watch.
Similarly, World Bank’s Africa Pulse report of April 2025 stated that Nigeria, under Mr Tinubu, has the highest number of extremely poor people globally.
The report also predicted a grim future for Nigeria, warning that many more Nigerians will be plunged into poverty by 2027 under Mr Tinubu’s watch