# Pakistan among world's 10 worst food crises: 10.6 million people need aid in 2026, Action Against Hunger says

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/health/pakistan-among-worlds-10-worst-food-crises-106-million-people-need-aid-in-2026)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 17 Oct 2026
Updated: 17 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 17 Oct 2026

> A report for World Food Day puts Pakistan alongside Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan, citing floods, drought, heatwaves and food inflation. What the figures cover.

Pakistan is one of the **10 countries carrying the heaviest burden of the world's hunger crisis**, with an estimated **10.6 million people needing humanitarian assistance in 2026**, according to a report by the charity **Action Against Hunger** released on Friday for World Food Day, [Dawn reported](https://www.dawn.com/news/2037727/pakistan-among-10-states-bearing-brunt-of-hunger-crisis).

The report, *Ten Largest Global Food Crises*, lists **Nigeria, Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Sudan and Syria**. About **177 million people** live in those ten countries. Worldwide, acute hunger has **doubled in a decade** and now affects **266 million people in 47 countries**.

## Why Pakistan is on the list

The report points to a mix of climate shocks and money:

- **Climate:** recurring floods, droughts, heatwaves, glacial lake outburst floods and erratic monsoon rain, with several districts in prolonged drought.
- **Prices and incomes:** persistent poverty, high food inflation and falling household incomes that cut what families can buy.
- **Insecurity:** localised violence in **Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan** that disrupts livelihoods, markets and aid work.
- It also flagged the lean season from December 2025 to March 2026 as a period likely to make things worse.

## The picture this week

The figures match what has been reported from the ground. In **Thar**, drought is pushing families and their livestock towards Sindh's barrage areas ([our story](/news/pakistan/thar-drought-drives-livestock-exodus-as-families-head-for-sindhs-barrage-areas)). In the cities, the weekly **SPI** shows atta up 3.4% and chicken up 3.3% in a single week even as headline inflation eased to 11.38% ([details](/news/economy/spi-inflation-eases-to-1138percent-atta-up-34percent-and-chicken-33percent-in-a)). Next door, Afghanistan's own hunger figures hit a record this week ([our story](/news/world/afghanistan-hunger-hits-record-159-million-face-acute-food-shortages-192-million)).

## Where help comes from

Food support in Pakistan runs mainly through the **Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)** and provincial ration and flour schemes, which are targeted by household survey. For a family stretching a monthly budget, our [salary breakdown calculator](/tools/finance/salary-breakdown-calculator) shows take-home pay after tax, and the [CPI page](/data/cpi-yoy) tracks inflation month by month.

## Frequently asked questions

**How many people in Pakistan need humanitarian food aid in 2026?**

An estimated 10.6 million, according to Action Against Hunger's Ten Largest Global Food Crises report, released on 16 October 2026.

## Sources

- Pakistan among 10 states bearing brunt of hunger crisis (17 Oct 2026) (Dawn): https://www.dawn.com/news/2037727/pakistan-among-10-states-bearing-brunt-of-hunger-crisis

How to cite: "Pakistan among world's 10 worst food crises: 10.6 million people need aid in 2026, Action Against Hunger says", Searchable, 17 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/health/pakistan-among-worlds-10-worst-food-crises-106-million-people-need-aid-in-2026