The magnitude and severity of food crises worsened in 2020 as protracted conflict, the economic fallout of COVID‑19 and weather extremes exacerbated pre-existing fragilities. Forecasts point to a grim outlook for 2021, with the threat of Famine persisting in some of the world’s worst food crises.

By the end of 2020, the global goal of achieving ‘zero hunger’ by 2030 seemed increasingly out of reach. This follows another annual rise in the numbers of acutely food-insecure people in need of urgent food, nutrition and livelihood assistance. The GRFC focusses on food crises where the local capacities to respond are insufficient, prompting a request for the urgent mobilization of the international community, as well as countries/ territories where there is ample evidence that the magnitude and severity of the food crisis exceed the local resources and capacities needed to respond effectively. It provides estimates for populations in countries/territories where data are available based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and Cadre Harmonisé (CH) or comparable sources. At least 155 million people in 55 countries/territories were in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) in 2020, an increase of around 20 million people from 2019. Among the 39 countries/ territories included in the GRFC since 2016, the number of people in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or equivalent has increased from 94 million to 147 million people, reflecting worsening levels and wider geographical coverage.

Around 28 million people across 38 of the 43 countries/ territories with IPC/CH analyses were in Emergency or worse (IPC/CH Phase 4 or above) and required urgent action to save lives and livelihoods. Most people in these dire circumstances were in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sudan and Yemen – with at least 2 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) in each country.

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