Hunger skyrockets by nearly 80 percent in Eastern and Southern Africa over past five years amidst worsening water crisis
Nearly 116 million people in eight African countries, hardest hit by severe water crises, lack access to drinking water. Globally, flash floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022.
The climate crisis has dramatically worsened water scarcity in Eastern and Southern Africa over the past few decades, leaving nearly 116 million people –or 40 percent of the population – without safe drinking water, according to a new Oxfam report.
Climate change is supercharging extreme weather events like droughts, cyclones and flash floods, and has led to the disappearance of more than 90 percent of Africa’s tropical glaciers and the depletion of groundwater. This has had knock-on effects on Africa’s small-scale farmers, pastoralists and fisherpersons leaving millions without basic food, drinking water or income.
Oxfam’s report –Water-Driven Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Africa’s Food Emergency – published ahead of World Water Day, looked at the links between water scarcity and hunger in eight of the world’s worst water crises: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It found that the number of people experiencing extreme hunger in those countries has surged by nearly 80 percent over the past five years – reaching over 55 million in 2024, up from nearly 31 million in 2019. That is two in every ten persons.
The report warns that La Niña weather pattern, which will last through this month, will worsen floods in swaths of Southern Africa and South Sudan while causing severe drought in East Africa further threatening people’s food availability and income.
Globally, flash floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022 and the duration of droughts has risen by 29% since 2000, impacting the most vulnerable communities.
Existing poverty, deep inequality and chronic under-investment along with poor governance in water systems have compounded this climate-fuelled water crisis. African governments are currently meeting less than half the US$50 billion annual investment target required to achieve water security in Africa by 2030.
- Download the report – Water-Driven Hunger: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Africa’s Food Emergency
- The number of people across the eight countries without access to clean water is 115.9 million. This was calculated based on FAO’s AQUASTAT Indicator for “% of Total Population with Access to Safe Drinking Water” and the 2021 population figures according to the World Bank’s World Development Indicators.
- All eight countries in the report rank among the 30 most water-insecure nations in the world according to the National Water Security Score of the Global Water Security 2023 Assessment. Additionally, the GRFC 2024 report lists these countries amongst 18 where “climate-related shocks” are the primary driver of food insecurity; and the Hunger Hotspots FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity November 2024 to May 2025 outlook” report identify them to be of “highest concern” expecting to face climate-related risks worsened by La Niña this year.
