Over one million in Lebanon face acute food shortages, UN says

More than one million people in Lebanon, nearly a quarter of the population, face acute food shortages, the United Nations says. It attributes the shortages to two consecutive conflicts in less than two years and the country’s dire economic situation.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and Lebanon’s Agriculture Ministry expect the number affected to rise to 1.15 million by mid-2027, Al Jazeera said. Their joint statement comes as Lebanon struggles to recover from an economic crisis that began in 2019.

Some households are running out of options

The agencies and ministry said jobs remain scarce, savings have been depleted and debt remains high, while the cost of food, fuel and other essentials strains household budgets.

Allison Oman Lawi, the World Food Programme’s representative and country director in Lebanon, said some households can still use savings, borrow or cut spending to buy food, but others are exhausting those options. She warned that even a small additional shock can push families deeper into crisis when they have nothing left to fall back on.

The latest war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah began in March 2026 and displaced more than one million people in Lebanon. The number displaced fell to about 300,000 after violence subsided in June.

Lebanon’s Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani called for a coordinated national response to meet urgent food needs while protecting livelihoods and restoring the ability to produce food.