Food Price Shock Could Push 11.7 Million More Women and Girls Into Hunger in 2026

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are increasing energy, fertilizer and transport costs, putting pressure on food prices from farms to markets.

An additional 11.7 million women and girls could face food insecurity by the end of 2026 as escalating tensions in the Middle East and disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz push up food prices and squeeze household budgets, according to a new UN Women analysis. Across the 28 countries examined, women and girls represent 53 per cent of the estimated 22 million additional people who could struggle to get enough food. The potential increase comes on top of an estimated 208 million women and girls already experiencing food insecurity or undernourishment in those countries. These figures describe what could happen under the scenarios studied; they are not forecasts.

Rising Costs Reach the Family Table

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are increasing energy, fertilizer and transport costs, putting pressure on food prices from farms to markets. Families facing possible losses of income or livelihoods could find their money buying less food just as their earnings shrink, leaving difficult decisions about meals, bills and other essentials. For women with limited employment opportunities and little access to financial services, there may be fewer savings or sources of income to cushion the shock.

UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda described how women often eat less and last when food becomes scarce, choosing less nutritious meals or skipping food so other family members can eat. Her message connects the daily decisions made around a family meal to wider inequalities over money and resources: supporting women and girls helps protect the nutrition and well-being of entire families and communities.

Where the Pressure Could Be Greatest

Countries with larger populations account for the biggest estimated numbers of additional women and girls at risk, but South Sudan, Sudan, Haiti, Yemen and Palestine face particularly concentrated pressures because several vulnerabilities overlap. In South Sudan, the potential additional number represents around 14 per cent of the female population, roughly one in seven, the highest proportion among the countries studied. Lebanon has the second-highest proportion, at nearly 4 per cent. Women and girls also account for a disproportionately large share of those who could face food insecurity in Afghanistan, at 60 per cent; Yemen, at more than 57 per cent; and Sudan, at nearly 56 per cent.

Employment figures help explain why rising prices can leave women with so few options. Around 80 per cent of women in Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and Syria are outside the labour force, a figure that reaches around 95 per cent in Afghanistan and Yemen. Having a job does not necessarily provide security either: more than 80 per cent of employed women in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali and South Sudan are in vulnerable employment, making their livelihoods less reliable when costs rise.

Support Must Reach Beyond Food Aid

Access to financial services could help women manage these pressures, but fewer than one in five women in Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Yemen own a bank or mobile money account. Limited access can make it harder to save, receive remittances or cash assistance, or borrow safely during an income loss. Dependence on informal lenders, relatives or other household members can leave women with less control over their choices and expose them to safety and protection risks.

UN Women calls for food and cash assistance to be combined with nutrition, protection, livelihood and agricultural support, alongside access to land, credit, services and productive assets. Resources should reach places where risks overlap and arrive when they are needed, including before agricultural seasons. Better data must capture who is eating less, losing livelihoods, taking on additional unpaid care or facing greater nutrition and protection risks within households. The agency also calls for de-escalation, respect for international law and diplomatic solutions that advance regional and international peace and security.