New Delhi, Oct 19 (IANS) Pakistan is among the ten countries carrying the largest share of the global food crisis, a report has said.
According to an analysis by Profit by Pakistan Today, economic pressures, climate shocks and declining access to assistance are driving worsening food insecurity.
It further highlighted that 266 million people across 47 countries and territories are facing acute hunger, roughly double the number recorded a decade ago.
“About 177 million, or two-thirds of those affected, are concentrated in ten countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, South Sudan and Syria,” it added.
Pakistan’s inclusion reflects the absolute number of people affected rather than the proportion of its population facing hunger.
Moreover, about 10.6 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity across 51 rural areas, with vulnerable communities particularly exposed to climate-related shocks.
The report also showed that the share of households experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity rose to 24.35 per cent in 2024-25 from 15.92 per cent in 2018-19, an increase of 8.43 per cent that leaves nearly one in four households affected.
Severe food insecurity more than doubled over the same period, increasing to 5.04 per cent from 2.37 per cent, suggesting that around one in twenty households now faces the most serious level of food-access challenges.
In addition, consumption data show average monthly per-capita intake declined across key food categories, including wheat, rice, pulses, meat, eggs and milk, between the two survey periods.
“While vegetable ghee consumption increased by about 81 per cent,” Profit said.
“The economic pressure is substantial with the national consumer price index rising from 121.6 in June 2019 to 264.2 in June 2025, according to PBS, an increase of about 117 per cent,” according to the report.
Additionally, climate-related losses have added to those strains by reducing agricultural output and earnings for rural households, leaving many families more dependent on purchased food.
When incomes are already constrained, disruptions to crop production, livestock holdings or market access can undermine both food availability and affordability, according to the report.
–IANS
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