Mozambique

Mozambique is a low-income, food-deficit country with a large rural population of 20 million. It ranked 182 out of 193 countries in the 2025 Human Development Index. HIV is the primary cause of death.

Preliminary numbers indicate that a record 5 million people are food insecure and need urgent support.

A vast majority of Mozambicans are too poor to afford a nutritious diet, and malnutrition remains a major underlying cause of child mortality in children under 5.

Mozambique is also one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world and one of the most vulnerable to extreme climate events such as droughts, floods and cyclones. These, coupled with annual lean seasons and economic shocks, regularly threaten food security.

El Niño-induced drought – one of the most intense in Mozambique’s recent history – has devastated crops, resulting in poor harvests and soaring food prices. Furthermore, cyclones Chido and Dikeledi have affected 1.4 million people.

Ongoing conflict is driving hunger in Cabo Delgado and in its neighbouring provinces, Niassa and Nampul, which are both hosting internally displaced people in need of urgent lifesaving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance.

The World Food Programme (WFP) supports the Government, with a focus on improving food and nutrition security as well as strengthening the resilience of individuals and communities in the face of multiple shocks. 

WFP assisted 2.1 million people across all provinces in 2024, linking emergency assistance to early recovery and resilience-building efforts that address the root causes of vulnerability.