Hunger on the rise amid worsening water crisis in eastern and southern Africa

The climate crisis in recent decades has dramatically worsened water scarcity in eastern and southern Africa, leaving nearly 116 million people - 40% of the population - without clean drinking water, according to a new Oxfam report. At the same time, floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022.

Climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones and floods, and has led to the disappearance of more than 90% of Africa's tropical glaciers and the depletion of groundwater. This has had knock-on effects on Africa's small-scale farmers, pastoralists and fishermen, 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 on the eve of World Water Day on March 22, examines the links between water scarcity and hunger in 8 of the world's worst water crises: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It shows that the number of people experiencing extreme hunger in these countries has increased by 80% over the last 5 years - from almost 31 million in 2019 to over 55 million in 2024. That's 2 in 10 people.

The report warns that La Niña's weather pattern, which will last through this month, will exacerbate flooding of cropland in southern Africa and South Sudan while causing severe drought in East Africa, further threatening people's access to food and income.

Globally, floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022, and the duration of droughts has increased by 29% since 2000, affecting the most vulnerable communities.

Existing poverty, deep inequality and chronic underinvestment, along with inadequate political governance of water systems, have exacerbated this climate-driven water crisis, leaving millions of vulnerable people without clean water or the resources to rebuild their lives. African governments are currently meeting less than half of the USD 50 billion annual investment target required to achieve water security in Africa by 2030.

"The climate crisis is not just statistics - it has a human face. It affects real people, whose livelihoods are being destroyed, while those who have contributed most to this crisis - big polluters and the very rich - continue to make huge profits. Meanwhile, national governments are neglecting the very communities they should be supporting and protecting."

Fati N'Zi Hassane, Oxfam Africa Director

Oxfam's report also shows that:

• In the eight countries studied, 91% of small-scale farmers are almost entirely dependent on rainwater for drinking and cultivation.

• In Ethiopia, food insecurity has increased by 175% in the last 5 years, with 22 million people struggling to find their next meal.

• In Kenya, over 136,000 square kilometers of land have become drier between 1980 and 2020, decimating crops and livestock.

• In Somalia, a failed rainy season pushes an additional 1 million people into crisis-level hunger, raising the total number to 4.4 million - 24% of the population.

Deep inequalities mean that disadvantaged people like women and girls are all too often the first and hardest hit by this water crisis. In Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, women and girls walk up to 10 kilometers in search of water, facing violence and extreme exhaustion. Many women and girls in rural households spend hours each day collecting water - time that could otherwise be spent on education and income.

"At the heart of this climate crisis is a great injustice. Sub-Saharan Africa receives only 3-4% of global climate finance, despite being heavily affected by climate change. Rich polluting nations have to pay their fair share. This is not about charity. African governments must also double their investments in water infrastructure and social protection to effectively manage their natural resources and help the most vulnerable communities cope with climate shocks."

Fati N'Zi Hassane, Oxfam Africa Director

Background

• Read the full report here. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/hunger-skyrockets-nearly-80-percent-eastern-and-southern-africa-over-past-five-years

• Oxfam calculated the increase in hunger by 79% based on the number of people facing IPC Phase 3 level and higher of acute food insecurity according to the Global Report of Food Crises (GRFC) 2019 and 2024 across Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This calculation also showed that hunger in Ethiopia increased by 175%.

• The number of people in the eight countries without access to safe water is 115.9 million. This was calculated based on the FAO AQUASTAT indicator for '% of total population with access to safe drinking water' and the 2021 population figures fromthe 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. In addition, the GRFC 2024 report lists these countries among the 18 where "climate-related shocks" are the primary driver of food insecurity; and the Hunger Hotspots FAO-WFP early warnings of acute food insecurity from November 2024 to May 2025 outlook" report identifies them as being of "highest concern" and expected to face climate-related risks exacerbated by La Niña this year.

• In Kenya, 136 129 square kilometers of land (23% of the land mass) have shifted from wetter to drier zones between 1980 and 2020. Source: Shifting climate zones and expanding tropical and arid climate regions across Kenya (1980-2020), published in April 2023.

• The observed recession of tropical glaciers in East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda) since the 18th century is remarkable. According to a study by Environmental Research Climate, Mount Kilimanjaro has lost 91.4% of its glaciers, Mount Kenya has lost 95.8% and the Ruwenzori Mountains have lost 94.2%.

• According to the Climate and Developent study by Sutch et al. (2020), by 2041-2070, maize yields are expected to decline by over 29% in Southern Africa and 32% in East Africa compared to 1971-2020.

• By the end of November 2024, central and northern Somalia, north-eastern Kenya and parts of Ethiopia's south-eastern pastoral areas had received less than 60 percent of the average seasonal rains(according to the WFP), while this year's March-May rains are already delayed in the same areas. Source: IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center

• According to "Flash floods: why are more of them devastating the world's driest regions?" Nature Journal, published March 7, 2023, globally, floods have become 20 times more frequent between 2000 and 2022.

• According to the African Union, around USD 50 billion is needed annually to achieve water security in Africa by 2030. But currently USD 10 to 19 billion is invested each year, leaving a funding gap of USD 11 to 20 billion per year.

• In Somalia, a failed rainy season could push one million more people into crisis-level hunger, raising the total number to 4.4 million - 24% of the population.