Soaring food costs are jeopardizing the health and futures of millions of children worldwide, with families in vulnerable communities increasingly unable to afford nutritious meals, according to a new report from the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision.
World Vision released its fifth annual “Price Shocks 2026” report last week, examining food affordability in 62 countries by comparing average wages with the prices of 10 essential food items, including rice, flour, eggs, chicken and milk. The findings were published Friday, Oct. 16, to coincide with World Food Day, an annual observance highlighting global hunger.
The report found that approximately 35.5 million children experienced acute malnutrition worldwide in 2025, including nearly 10 million who suffered from severe acute malnutrition.
The findings also revealed significant disparities in food affordability between wealthy nations and countries affected by economic hardship and conflict.
While workers in the United States and other high-income countries could purchase basic nutritious food with less than an hour’s earnings, workers in Ukraine needed more than 12 hours of wages to afford the same essentials. In Sudan, the equivalent cost amounted to 19 days of work.
Margaret Schuler, World Vision’s senior vice president of international programs, described meeting mothers in crisis-stricken communities who face daily decisions about which meals to forgo and which children to feed.
“Children should not have to pay the price when nutritious food is out of reach,” Schuler said in a statement. “These findings underscore the urgency of ensuring families can afford the food their children need to grow, thrive and reach their full potential.”
In response to the findings, World Vision called on governments, international organizations, businesses and donors to strengthen efforts to ensure children have access to affordable, nutritious food.
Its recommendations included expanding school meal programs, supporting local agricultural production, creating resilient employment opportunities and delivering emergency food assistance to populations displaced by conflict and humanitarian crises.
The warning comes amid worsening food emergencies in several conflict-affected countries, including Sudan, where prolonged fighting and drought have intensified hunger across the Darfur and Kordofan regions, according to an Associated Press report published last week.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an international initiative that monitors global food insecurity, issued a warning last Monday about deteriorating conditions in Sudan.
IPC findings indicated that nearly 19.5 million people, representing more than 40% of Sudan’s population, were experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity in May. Among them, approximately 135,000 were classified under Phase 5, the most severe category, characterized by starvation, extreme malnutrition and deaths linked to hunger and disease.
Afghanistan is also confronting a deepening humanitarian emergency, with the United Nations warning earlier this month that malnutrition has reached unprecedented levels and more than one-third of the population is experiencing severe hunger.
According to U.N. estimates, approximately 15.9 million Afghans face acute food insecurity, including 3.4 million living under famine conditions. Humanitarian officials anticipate further deterioration during the winter and spring, with more than 4 million Afghan children expected to require treatment for malnutrition next year.
“We still have a window to act, but it is closing fast,” John Aylieff, head of the World Food Program’s operations in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
