Attachments
Residual impacts of the 2025 monsoon floods, prolonged drought and dry spells, and localised insecurity are driving more than one-fifth of the analysed population in Pakistan into high levels of acute food insecurity. In the current period (December 2025 - March 2026), approximately 7.5 million people (21 percent of the analysed population) are classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). This includes around 1.25 million people who are experiencing critical levels of acute food insecurity, IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), which is characterised by large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition. Immediate, life-saving assistance is needed to prevent a catastrophe for those in Phase 4, as well as to prevent further deterioration for those in Phase 3.
During the projection period (April-September 2026), the number of people in Phase 3 or above is expected to slightly decrease to 6.7 million (19 percent of the analysed rural population). Across the 45 analysed districts, about 570,000 people (2 percent of the analysed population) are in Phase 4, while approximately 6.12 million people (17 percent of the analysed population) are in Phase 3. The apparent decline is largely driven by reduced geographic coverage. When assessed proportionally, the share of the analysed population facing Crisis or worse conditions remains broadly similar.
The IPC acute food insecurity analysis in Pakistan covered 45 vulnerable rural districts that face widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty. These districts—spread across Balochistan (19), Sindh (12), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (14) provinces—comprise an estimated 35.6 million people, equivalent to about 23 percent of the rural population and 14 percent of the total population of Pakistan.