Nigeria has been officially classified as a country experiencing a severe food crisis in 2025, with millions of people across the nation facing acute food insecurity and malnutrition. According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé report released by the Nigerian government in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other humanitarian agencies, approximately 30.6 million Nigerians in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory are expected to experience Crisis-level (Phase 3) or worse food insecurity during the lean season from June to August 2025.
While no population has been identified under the most extreme Catastrophe phase (Phase 5), the number of people in the Emergency phase (Phase 4) is projected to increase significantly from 680,000 to 1.2 million representing a 43 percent rise. The hardest-hit areas include northwestern states such as Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina, as well as northeastern states like Borno and Yobe, where ongoing conflicts, communal clashes, and insurgency have disrupted farming and food supply chains.
Economic challenges including inflation, poverty, and climate-related hazards such as droughts and floods have further compounded the crisis, pushing vulnerable populations deeper into hunger. Nigeria continues to have the highest number of food-insecure people worldwide, with children under five, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers particularly at risk of acute malnutrition.
Experts warn that without urgent and coordinated humanitarian interventions, the food crisis could worsen, leading to increased malnutrition, displacement, and loss of lives. The government and international partners are being urged to scale up efforts to provide food assistance, protect livelihoods, and address the root causes of insecurity and economic instability that fuel the crisis.
This alarming situation underscores the urgent need for sustained action to safeguard the lives and well-being of millions of Nigerians facing hunger and deprivation in 2025.