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Overview
Between April and August 2025, approximately 2.2 million people—or one in three people—in the Central African Republic are facing high levels of acute food insecurity and the loss of their livelihoods mainly due to conflict and insecurity in parts of the country, poor agricultural production and economic shocks. This includes 481,000 people facing critical levels of acute food insecurity, IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), and 1.74 million people experiencing crisis levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). Despite an improvement compared to the same period last year—with 34 percent of the population facing high levels of acute food insecurity down from 41 percent—the overall food security situation remains critical. Out of 85 analysed zones, 80 are classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). The most affected groups include households with limited access to land, displaced people, populations who have returned to the country, and communities hosting displaced populations, particularly in prefectures such as Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, and Vakaga, where more than 40 percent of the population is in Phase 3 or above.
Acute food insecurity in the Central African Republic is driven by a combination of conflict and civil insecurity, poor agricultural production, and socioeconomic shocks. Armed violence and civil unrest continue to displace populations—over 443,000 people are currently displaced—and limit access to farmland, especially in the southeast, northeast, and northwest. Irregular rainfall, seed shortages, crop pest infestations, and poor access to agricultural resources and tools have also curtailed crop yields, despite marginal production gains in more stable regions. A significant portion of the population (approximately 91 percent of households) remains heavily dependent on markets, making them vulnerable to price spikes. Furthermore, household food expenditure exceeds 75 percent of total income for about one in four households.
In the projection period between September 2025 and March 2026, the food security situation is expected to improve, with 1.83 million people (28 percent of the analysed population) projected to be in IPC Phase 3 or above (down from 34 percent in the current period). This includes 287,000 people classified in IPC Phase 4 and 1.54 million people in IPC Phase 3. Although seasonal forecasts suggest normal to above-normal rainfall in parts of the west and central areas, agricultural recovery is likely to remain constrained in conflict-affected regions. In total, 69 zones are expected to remain classified in IPC Phase 3 or above, with the northeast, southeast, and southern prefectures at highest risk.