The global hunger monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), has warned that the number of people projected to face crisis levels of hunger between October this year and next February could surge to 3.72 million people – about 10% of the population2.
About 502,000 children aged under 5, or one in ten, and 21,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to suffer or already be suffering acute malnutrition between May 2026 and April 2027. This includes about 78,000 children expected to have severe acute malnutrition, the most deadly form of malnutrition requiring urgent medical treatment3.
Nearly 426,000 people are expected to face emergency conditions, more than double the current number, with urgent action needed to save lives and livelihoods.
The spiralling food crisis is driven by the lean or pre-harvest season, high food prices and climate-related shocks, Save the Children said.
While the number of children expected to suffer acute malnutrition in Madagascar is slightly lower compared to the previous analysis in September last year4, the crisis remains severe with so many children impacted, said Save the Children.
Save the Children’s Country Representative for Madagascar, Tatiana Dasy, said:
"Children are always the first and hardest hit when food runs short. Behind these alarming numbers are families already struggling to put food on the table, children going to bed hungry, and mothers forced to make impossible choices to keep their children alive.
"Without urgent support, hundreds of thousands more children could face malnutrition, illness and long-term harm to their development. We cannot wait until families are pushed to the brink before acting."
Save the Children is calling on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian funding for food assistance, nutrition services, health care and climate-resilient support for vulnerable families before conditions worsen during the lean season.
Save the Children has been working in Madagascar since 2016, specializing in cash-based assistance, education, nutrition and child protection interventions. Over the years, we have responded to several humanitarian crises ranging from droughts to the devastating impact of tropical cyclones.
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Media contact: media.team@savethechildren.org.au