Bangladesh faces worsening food insecurity as 16 million people struggle for meals
A UN-backed report warns 1.6 million Bangladeshi children are acutely malnourished as climate shocks and inflation deepen hunger
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Around 16 million people in Bangladesh are facing severe levels of food insecurity, while 1.6 million children suffer acute malnutrition, according to a new government-led assessment supported by United Nations agencies.
The analysis—released by the Ministry of Food with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and NGOs Action Against Hunger and Save the Children—paints an alarming picture of worsening hunger across coastal and flood-prone districts, according to the leading Dhaka-based daily Dhaka Tribune.
Conducted in April 2025 using the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — a globally recognized system that ranks food insecurity from minimal to famine — the study found that between May and December, roughly 17 percent of the 96 million people assessed will experience “crisis” or “emergency” levels of hunger. Nearly 361,000 people are projected to be in the emergency phase, requiring urgent food assistance.
Cox’s Bazar, home to both host communities and more than 1 million Rohingya refugees, emerged as the worst-affected district, with about 30 percent of its population classified at crisis level. Among refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, roughly 445,000 people — 40 percent of those surveyed — are expected to face crisis or worse conditions.
Experts attribute the trend to climate disasters, inflation, and funding shortfalls. Last year’s widespread floods devastated livelihoods, while rising food prices and market volatility eroded purchasing power among low-income households. Humanitarian agencies also warned of shrinking aid budgets for Rohingya refugees despite growing needs.
Children remain particularly at risk. The report estimates 1.6 million children under five will suffer from acute malnutrition this year, including 144,000 with life-threatening severe acute malnutrition. Around 117,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are also expected to face acute nutritional deficiencies.
Officials said the findings underscore the need to expand social-safety nets, strengthen climate resilience, and ensure sustained humanitarian funding. “The urgency to act is clear,” said Masudul Hasan, secretary at the Ministry of Food, pledging that the government will use the data to shape national food-security policies.
The report also urged emergency support for farmers and fishers, restoration of flood-damaged livelihoods, and better coordination between ministries and aid agencies to prevent the crisis from deepening.
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