More than 60 percent of Ethiopia's population endured moderate to severe food insecurity during the period from 2023 to 2025, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 report.

The comprehensive 251-page report, produced jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IFAD, UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that approximately 79.4 million Ethiopians—equivalent to 60.1% of the population—were unable to consistently access adequate food. This marks an increase from 56.2% recorded during 2014-2016.

Notably, the report excludes data from the conflict-affected Tigray region, where food insecurity remains critical due to ongoing displacement, stalled peace efforts, and severe aid shortages.

Challenges to Food Affordability

In 2025, about 67.9% of Ethiopians, or roughly 92 million people, could not afford a healthy diet, despite global improvements in food security. The cost of maintaining a nutritious diet in Ethiopia was among the highest in East Africa, with an estimated daily cost of 4.75 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per person. This surpasses costs in neighboring Kenya (4.50 PPP), Uganda (3.74 PPP), and Tanzania (3.53 PPP).

The report highlights that local dietary staples such as teff and ensete (false banana) are not reflected in global food basket standards, underscoring the need for country-specific assessments of diet costs.

Regional Variations and Agricultural Factors

  • Food costs vary significantly across Ethiopia, with peri-urban areas generally experiencing lower costs compared to urban centers.
  • Dryland regions face higher food prices than non-dryland areas.
  • Rising agricultural input costs, particularly fertilizer prices which more than tripled between 2019 and 2023, have led many farmers to reduce usage, negatively impacting productivity and food availability.

The report recommends multifaceted investments beyond agricultural production, including improvements in transport infrastructure, food markets, and nutrition-sensitive policies to enhance affordability.

Evidence from Ethiopia shows that expanding rural road networks helped narrow the urban-rural food price gap by about 3%, improving market integration and reducing costs in deficit regions.

Ongoing Humanitarian Concerns

Complementing these findings, a January 2026 report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) projects that Ethiopia will remain among the top five countries with the largest populations requiring urgent humanitarian food aid through mid-2026. Over 15 million people are expected to need emergency assistance, particularly internally displaced persons and conflict-affected communities in Tigray and Amhara.

Persistent food insecurity in Ethiopia results from a combination of conflict, drought, inflation, and disruptions to social protection programs, which continue to undermine livelihoods and access to food.