Approximately 698,000 people in Zambia are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) from April to September 2026, representing a significant improvement compared to the same period in 2025.
Acute food insecurity is expected to deteriorate between October 2026 and March 2027 during the lean season. Over 1.2 million people will likely experience Phase 3 or above conditions during this period.
The underlying drivers of food insecurity in Zambia remain largely structural, largely driven by high poverty levels, especially in rural areas. Other compounding factors consist of persistent climatic shocks, including anticipated El Niño conditions, as well as crop pests and diseases and macroeconomic instability.

Approximately 1.7 million people (17 percent of the population analysed) are likely to experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between October 2025 and March 2026. This is an increase compared to the current period (May – September 2025) where 1.2 million people (12 percent of the population) experienced Phase 3 or above. However, it is a significant improvement compared to the overall situation in 2024 (April – September) where 4.9 million people (29 percent of the population analysed) faced Phase 3 or above.
The large reduction in people facing Phase 3 or above compared to May to September 2024, is largely due to Zambia returning to normalcy after a peculiar year that saw widespread drought across the country.
Despite the improvement in the overall food security situation, 1.7 million people are still in urgent need of humanitarian food assistance to reduce food gaps, protect and restore livelihoods, as well as to prevent acute malnutrition. This includes 9,900 people classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency)—primarily in Mitete, Shang’ombo, and Sikongo districts in the Western province—and 1.69 million people classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). During the projection period, a total of 43 hotspot districts are projected to face Phase 3 or above.