Somalia’s protracted humanitarian crisis continued during 2025, driven by recurrent drought, conflict, disease outbreaks and reduced aid. Global funding cuts caused a 70 per cent drop in food assistance, closure of about 150 health facilities and 300 nutrition centres, and a 39 per cent decline in nutrition services compared to 2024. The country faced its driest year since 1981, with rainfall 60 per cent below average.

Reliant on pastoralism and agriculture, Somalia ranked as the world’s hungriest nation in the 2025 Global Hunger Index.

By year end, the government had made a national drought declaration and an estimated 1.85 million children under 5 years were suffering acute malnutrition – 421,000 of whom were severely malnourished, a 16 per cent increase on 2024.

Action Against Hunger provided critical assistance in 29 districts through direct operations and local partners, reaching 3.3 million people via programmes in health, nutrition, WASH, and FSL and protection. Over 100,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition. The Caafimaad Plus Consortium pioneered community-enabled access to four restricted-access districts, delivering gains for humanitarian programming for Somalia as a whole. For example, vaccine hesitancy was resolved in non-vaccinating communities through peer influence, while access for humanitarian supplies was negotiated, more than halving the usual cost of air transport.

We also took part in the Boosting Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change programme. The livelihoods component supported 12 farmer cooperatives with training, food production and market engagement, generating 35 per cent yield increases, while post-harvest losses were reduced from 25 per cent to below 10 per cent. Income from crop and fodder sales reached US$58,900, while 17 climate-resilient water systems were constructed or rehabilitated, providing safe water to over 32,000 displaced community members.

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