UN warns El Nino could push 49 million more people into acute hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme warned that a powerful El Niño weather pattern could push nearly 49 million ^[1] additional people into acute hunger.

This projection highlights a growing global crisis where extreme weather intersects with existing vulnerabilities. The shift in climate patterns threatens to destabilize food systems in regions already struggling with economic instability and political unrest.

The agency said the increase would bring the global total of people facing acute food insecurity to approximately 274 million ^[2] by the end of next year, 2027 ^[3]. This surge is expected to hit several regions particularly hard, including Central America, Southern Africa, and parts of South-East Asia ^[4].

El Niño is expected to trigger a series of disruptive weather events. The WFP said the pattern will likely cause severe droughts, uneven monsoons, and flooding ^[5]. These conditions disrupt agricultural production by destroying crops and killing livestock, which are essential components of local food supplies.

The agency said these weather disruptions are primary drivers that exacerbate existing food-insecurity vulnerabilities ^[5]. Because many of the affected regions rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture, the unpredictability of the monsoons and the severity of the droughts create a direct path to acute hunger.

Global efforts to combat malnutrition are already strained. The addition of millions of people to the acute hunger tally puts further pressure on international aid organizations to secure funding and logistics for emergency food deliveries in the hardest-hit zones ^[4].