Haiti’s deepening gang violence and political turmoil have left an estimated 5.4 million people facing severe hunger, with thousands now suffering famine-like conditions, according to new data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
At least 6,000 Haitians are enduring catastrophe-level hunger, marked by the near-total lack of food and extreme coping mechanisms that can lead to starvation and death. This crisis has intensified since March, when 5 million people were affected, and is projected to surpass 5.5 million by next June — nearly half of the nation’s population.
The report attributes this surge in hunger to the escalating violence in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince, which has severely disrupted food supplies and access. High inflation, further straining households that spend up to 70% of their income on food, is compounding the crisis.
Hunger levels in Haiti have dramatically worsened since 2014, with almost half the population now experiencing severe food insecurity. Mercy Corps noted that only 2% of Haitians faced such hunger a decade ago.
The IPC has raised its warning to Phase 5, signaling that famine could soon be declared if conditions worsen. A famine declaration requires at least 20% of a population suffering extreme shortages, one in three children acutely malnourished, and two out of every 10,000 people dying daily due to hunger or disease.
Currently, 18% of Haitians are at emergency-level hunger (Phase 4), with many living in makeshift camps after being displaced by gang violence. Over 700,000 people have been forced from their homes, often with no belongings or means to survive.
One resident, Rose Petit-Homme, who now lives in a Port-au-Prince camp, shared her devastating story: “The gangs forced us out. I lost my parents—they burned them alive in the house. Now we can’t go back.”
Further complicating the situation, the capital’s main port has extended its closure, exacerbating food shortages and driving up prices.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has renewed the mandate for a Kenyan-led international security force to help combat Haiti’s gangs. However, despite the mission’s approval a year ago, only a few troops have been deployed, and funding remains limited. Haiti’s interim government has pushed for the force to become a U.N. peacekeeping mission, though this is opposed by China and Russia.
