The 2023/2024 El Niño episode, the warming phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, was one of the five strongest on record, with temperature anomalies 2°C above the average in the Pacific Ocean. According to the World Weather Attribution, El Niño was the main driver of most of the extreme weather events occurring between September 2023 and May 2024, including droughts in Central America, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Philippines, across Southern Africa, in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where impacts are still being felt. Additionally, El Niño contributed to widespread flooding in Brazil, Dubai and Oman, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and East Africa, underscoring its far-reaching effects.
Over 60 million people were affected, particularly vulnerable communities, impacted by the compounding effects of climate change, conflict and economic challenges. Southern Africa experienced the harshest impacts, with over 30 million people affected by severe drought, resulting in the loss of livelihoods and high levels of severe food insecurity. In Eastern Africa, floods displaced communities and destroyed livelihoods, affecting 5 million people and in the Philippines, over 4 million people faced drought conditions. Central America saw 1.3 million people affected, while over 2 million people in Brazil faced devastating floods.
The effects of El Niño went far beyond food insecurity, with overlapping shocks compounding the hardships faced by vulnerable communities. Disease outbreaks, including cholera and malaria, surged in flood-affected regions, while protection risks increased, especially for women and children, who bore the brunt of displacement, poverty, and gender-based violence. Economic disruptions rippled through affected regions, further destabilizing livelihoods and social systems.