Ethiopia is a hunger hotspot due to conflict, displacement, climate extremes and economic shocks.

A total of 10.2 million people, of whom 3 million are internally displaced, are severely food insecure.  

Ethiopia hosts over 1 million refugees, who rely on food assistance, mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan.

Improved harvests have reduced acute food insecurity in some areas but ongoing conflict in some regions and back-to-back climate shocks – droughts, floods and landslides – keep hunger levels high in many places.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has reached 3.5 million people with food and nutrition assistance since the start of 2025. We plan to support 7.2 million people this year.  

Insecurity is disrupting humanitarian operations in the Amhara Region. WFP needs safe passage to continue reaching the most severely food-insecure families.  

WFP has both the capacity and ability to deliver at scale, but is expected to receive just over half of last year’s funding. Without urgent new funding, 3.6 million of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable people could be cut from WFP’s life-saving assistance.

We urgently need US$150 million to continue delivering life-saving assistance and build resilience among Ethiopia’s most vulnerable people, up to December 2025.

What the World Food Programme is doing to respond to the Ethiopia emergency

Emergency response
WFP provides immediate-relief food for 1 million internally displaced and vulnerable Ethiopians in Somali Region and in the north of the country. WFP also provides 800,000 refugees with food and cash transfers, including 100,000 Sudanese refugees. WFP plans to assist monthly 680,000 children and pregnant women, including 50,000 refugees, with malnutrition prevention and treatment, including fresh food vouchers.
Resilience
A key element of WFP’s response is building resilience to break the cycle of food insecurity, reaching 620,000 people in 2024 with initiatives such as providing seed inputs, mechanization, market access and post-harvest loss technologies. WFP is rolling out resilience-building activities to help communities to prepare and protect their livelihoods in the drought-risk Oromia, Somali and Southern regions. Support will target over 200,000 people with cash assistance, and nearly 300,000 with livestock feed vouchers.
School meals
WFP provides daily school meals to about 470,000 children, including 70,000 refugees, every month. WFP prioritizes school meals for conflict-affected and food-insecure woredas in northern Ethiopia.

How you can help

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