Pakistan has the highest hunger score in South Asia in the 2026 Global Hunger Index. A score of 25.5 puts the country in the “serious” category, above the regional average of 23.5. Pakistan has improved a lot since 2000, when it scored 36.2. But those gains are now at risk.
Progress has slipped. Undernourishment has moved from low to medium since 2018, and child wasting is close to the high threshold. Food is available, but many families cannot afford it, reach it or get enough nutrition from it while inflation and economic uncertainty continue.
The report links the food crisis to Pakistan’s wider economic problems. Prices keep rising and purchasing power keeps falling. Poorer families spend a big share of their income on food, so they feel it first. When money runs short, nutrition gets worse quickly, even if markets are well stocked.
Economic stability and food security go together. Currency pressure, inflation, high transport and input costs, and tight public spending all make it harder for families to feed themselves. The government needs to provide immediate relief while it stabilises prices, protects real incomes and shields vulnerable households from food price shocks.
Heavy rains and floods have destroyed crops in parts of Pakistan, and the report warns that climate shocks are becoming a regular threat. Floods damage crops, livestock, storage, roads and rural livelihoods. People go hungry right away, and they lose income for years afterward.
Climate adaptation should be a core part of national food policy. Pakistan needs infrastructure that survives floods, better drainage, crop insurance, early warning systems, seeds that cope with drought and stronger local food reserves. These steps would cut the human cost of the next disaster. Without them, every extreme weather event pushes more households into hunger and erases earlier gains.
Child stunting is the most troubling finding, and it remains very high. It reflects years of deprivation and can damage a child’s growth, learning, schooling and future earnings. Child mortality has improved, yet high stunting and wasting mean many children survive without the chance to develop fully.
Maternal and child nutrition must become a national priority. That means nutrition support for pregnant women, breastfeeding promotion, micronutrient supplements, vaccination, safe water and sanitation, and direct help for the poorest households. Doing nothing will cost more than today’s hunger numbers show. The next generation will pay for it.
Pakistan’s slide is part of a global trend. The world hunger score rose from 17.6 in 2018 to 18.1 in 2026. Armed conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks, disrupted trade routes and reduced international funding for food security all contributed.
Pakistan imports much of its fuel and edible oil, and climate shocks hit it often. Global turmoil quickly pushes up prices at home. The country needs to grow more on its own farms, buy from more suppliers, store more and waste less.
Pakistan’s ranking calls for action across economic, agricultural, social protection, health and climate policy. Emergency food aid is still necessary, but it cannot replace reforms that make food systems stronger and households more secure.
The report’s central message is blunt: there can be no lasting security without food security. Responding to the next flood or price spike will not be enough to improve Pakistan’s score. The country needs an economy and a food system that protect vulnerable families before the next crisis arrives.
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