The countries that are hardest hit by rising food prices

In the wake of Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, food prices are skyrocketing. This is compounding a crisis that already existed. In March, the UN’s Food Price Index reached its highest level ever, up 30% on a year before. Climate change impacts, including droughts in North and East Africa and a heatwave in India, are impacting food prices. And COVID-related supply chain challenges, poor harvests, and conflicts in Ethiopia, Yemen, and Somalia also played a role in making 2022 a bad year for food.

While advanced countries can respond with social protection programs, vulnerable countries have limited fiscal reserves to respond. Combining data on undernourished populations, chronic hunger, inflation, with the scope of the countries’ ability to respond, new analysis from the ONE Campaign reveals the countries hardest hit by rising food prices.