An estimated 1.9 million people in Malawi (10 percent of the analysed population) are experiencing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of acute food insecurity between April and September 2026, marking a notable improvement compared with the previous two years. This progress reflects a favourable 2025/26 agricultural season following the severe El Niño impacts of 2024/25.
Despite improved production, household purchasing power continues to be eroded by high food prices, elevated inflation, sharp fuel price adjustments, foreign-exchange shortages, and high premiums on the parallel exchange market—particularly affecting poor households in urban areas and low-income rural households.