Pakistan recorded the highest score in South Asia on the 2026 Global Hunger Index released on Wednesday, as the report linked worsening food security to economic instability, climate shocks and global conflicts.
Pakistan and Afghanistan deteriorate as South Asia stalls
The report, published jointly by Welthungerhilfe, the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict at Ruhr University Bochum, and the Swiss organisation Helvetas under the theme “No Security Without Food Security,” said progress in South Asia has largely stagnated. It said conditions in Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated since 2018.
In Pakistan, economic instability and sharp food price inflation have eroded household purchasing power and restricted access to food. The report said undernourishment in the country has climbed from low in 2018 to medium, while child wasting has risen toward the high threshold.
Across South Asia, the regional score remains in the “serious” category at 23.5. The report said the region’s score has fallen from 37.5 in 2000, but most of that progress happened before 2018.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have moved from the “alarming” to the “serious” category since 2000, but child stunting remains very high. Pakistan’s stunting rate continues to fall, while Afghanistan’s has edged up since 2018. Child mortality in both countries has declined from very high levels in 2000 to medium levels today.
Weather shocks and crop losses add pressure
The report warned that high levels of acute food insecurity will persist across the region. It said heavy rains and flooding caused localised crop losses in parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh, while below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures hurt Afghanistan’s 2026 cereal-growing season.
According to Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates, 218 million people in South Asia, including Iran, were undernourished between 2023 and 2025, roughly one-third of the global total.
Global hunger rises again after nearly two decades
Globally, the 2026 score stands at 18.1, up from 17.6 in 2018. The report said hunger has increased in 32 countries since 2018, and 57 countries are on track to miss even low hunger levels by 2030.
Three of the index’s four indicators — undernourishment, child stunting and child wasting — have worsened, while child mortality has continued to decline slightly.
The report said state-based armed conflicts, now at their highest level since World War II, together with frequent extreme weather events, are major drivers of the reversal. It also said the war in Iran and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait are pushing up fuel, transportation and fertiliser costs.
The report added that Russia’s war in Ukraine and Black Sea export restrictions threaten higher wheat prices, making basic supplies unaffordable in the Global South. It said international spending on food security has fallen to 2016-2017 levels, forcing cuts to aid programmes and emergency rations.
The report urged governments to reverse funding cuts for humanitarian assistance and data collection to help prevent and manage future crises.
