10 crises to look out for in 2025

Angola tops the list of 10 most underreported humanitarian crises for the third year in a row.

According to data from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the worst drought in southern Africa for over 40 years has caused food insecurity for around 2.2 million people in Angola. Many of the water access points once used in the drought-affected region are now dry. This means that women and girls (who are usually the ones tasked with fetching water) face long and dangerous journeys to find water for their families.

Despite these staggering numbers and pressing needs, there were fewer than 2,000 articles published on the issue from January 1 to September 30, 2024. In that same period, news outlets published nearly 300,000 articles about Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film.

2. Central African Republic: War leads to catastrophe

For more than 12 years, a devastating humanitarian crisis has raged in the Central African Republic. Armed conflicts have led to one in five people being displaced from their homes. Add to this mass food insecurity, with more than 2.5 million people struggling to find enough to eat.

Conflict, displacement, and other issues have only made things worse for women and girls in a region where they were already subjected to early marriage, exploitation, and economic and educational inequalities.

According to the recent studies, the country is one of the five countries in the world where women experience the most disadvantage. In 2024, more than two people every hour—mainly women and girls— were subjected to violence, but conflict, displacement, and lack of access to support often prevent survivors from accessing help.

From January 1 to September 30, 2024, only 4,012 news articles were published about the Central African Republic.

3. Madagascar: Paradise on the brink

Located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of southern Africa, Madagascar is one of the largest islands in the world. With its stunning biodiversity and gorgeous geography, the island should be a paradise.

But more than 80% of people in Madagascar live in poverty. Hunger is so widespread that one in four young children are chronically malnourished, leading the Global Hunger Index 2024 to classify the situation in Madagascar as alarming.

Madagascar is known worldwide for its vanilla production. What is less well known is that much of the fragrant export relies on child labor. According to UNICEF, hundreds of thousands of children and young people are forced to work on vanilla plantations.

To make matters worse, the island state is heavily exposed to the effects of the climate crisis, suffering from prolonged droughts and violent hurricanes. These overlapping crises and systemic injustices have a particularly detrimental effect on girls and young women. They have fewer education opportunities, are more likely to suffer from hunger, and are more likely to be subjected to violence and early marriage.

Only 5,915 news articles were published about Madagascar from January 1 to September 30, 2024.

4. Burkina Faso: Fleeing from violence

In 2024, the Royal Court of Tiébélé became Burkina Faso’s third UNESCO World Heritage site, joining other landmarks that reflect the nation’s vibrant culture and history.

Unfortunately, Burkina Faso’s more recent history has been characterized by ongoing violence and instability. Violence and hunger have forced many families to flee their homes. Currently, more than 2 million people are displaced within their own country. 82 percent of those displaced are women and children.

The unstable security situation has led to a decline in agricultural production. This is compounded by climate change and increasingly long droughts. The remaining scarce harvest is sold at higher prices, which most people in the country cannot afford.

Violence and hunger have forced many families to flee their homes. Currently, more than 2 million people are displaced within their own country. 82 percent of those displaced are women and children.

While 6.3 million people are reliant on aid (a staggering 660% rise since 2019) and 2.7 million are facing acute hunger, the delivery of humanitarian aid remains dangerous due to repeated attacks on aid convoys.

5. Burundi: Extreme weather and hunger

Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. 52% of children under the age of 5 are chronically undernourished in the small, densely populated East African nation. Subject to political tensions and violence throughout the recent past, the consequences of the climate crisis are only making things worse.

In 2024, the extreme impacts of El Niño impacted 298,000 people in Burundi—half of whom were women and girls. Around 48,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to catastrophes like torrential rain, landslides, and overflooding lakes. This increased the number of displaced people in Burundi to over 100,000.

Extreme weather fluctuations are also leading to increased hunger. 2.2 million people in Burundi suffer from acute food insecurity. 229,000 experience extreme hunger.

Women and girls are especially at risk of hunger, as well as violence and inequalities like early marriage and lack of access to education and healthcare. In Burundi, around one in five girls are married before the age of 18.

6. Mozambique: Food is always in short supply

Since 2017, conflict in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado has displaced 1.7 million people, but the dire crisis goes largely overlooked. The insecure situation is forcing entire villages to flee, but even then, there is rarely enough food, water, or shelter.

Most educational and healthcare facilities in Cabo Delgado are closed, which means children go without school, families cannot access vaccines or medicine, and mothers are forced to give birth unaided.

Climate change has brought cyclones and droughts to Mozambique, destroying crops and making food even more scarce. Farmers have no seeds to replant their crops, and displacement has exacerbated a shortage of agricultural workers. 2.78 million people are affected by acute food insecurity with no end in sight.

7. Cameroon: Conflict and climate threaten millions

Since 2017, Cameroon has experienced deadly conflicts between separatist groups and the government. The Central African country grapples with violence in the north and southwest, forcing millions to flee. An influx of refugees from the Central African Republic only compounds the crisis.

The humanitarian situation is dire, with 3.4 million people needing aid in 2024. 1 million of those people are internally displaced, and over half of those internally displaced people are children.

There is a severe shortage of basic necessities. Food insecurity affects 2.5 million people, only 40% of people have access to clean water, and medical services have deteriorated, particularly for women and girls at risk of violence. The ongoing armed conflict has also disrupted education, leaving 36% of schools closed or otherwise non-functional.

Moreover, the impacts of extreme climate change have led to heavy flooding and destructive fires that threaten the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities.

8. Malawi: Drought, floods, and loss of harvest

Malawi is grappling with grave humanitarian crises. The 2024 El Niño-induced drought—the worst in a century—forced nearly 40% of the population into extreme food insecurity. The government declared a national state of emergency in March, and 6.1 million people are in desperate need of aid.

Climate change, severe droughts, and ongoing economic challenges have led to staggering losses in agriculture. In fact, 44% of cultivation ground has been destroyed due to extreme weather. Skyrocketing food prices (corn currently costs 160% more than the five-year average) have made basic nutrition unattainable for many.

Women and girls bear the brunt of this crisis, often traveling great distances for food and water, and facing significant danger along the way.

9. Zambia: It’s either too wet or too dry

With over half of Zambia’s citizens relying on farming, extreme weather has left the population in crisis. In 2024, the country faced its worst drought in over 40 years, driven by El Niño and ongoing climate crises. 9.8 million people have been affected.

After heavy rains gave way to a drought, electricity shortages ensued, disrupting daily life as springs dried up and livestock perished. Harvests fell 43% below average.

The most vulnerable people, primarily women and children, are suffering the most; nearly 5 million people lack adequate food, with one in four children under five facing acute food insecurity. The catastrophic situation has forced women and girls to take long treks to find water, often at great personal risk.

10. Niger: Drought and flood amid violence

Niger, a vast country in the conflict-ridden Sahel region of Africa, faces severe challenges from climate change, conflict, and hunger. 17% of its population—about 4.5 million people—rely on humanitarian aid. The situation is dire.

Over half the population lives below the poverty line, and around 3.4 million suffer from food insecurity. As conflict rages, particularly near borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, more than 500,000 people have been internally displaced, with additional refugees fleeing from Nigeria and Mali.

Natural disasters, including droughts and devastating floods, further threaten the livelihoods of the rural majority dependent on agriculture. During the 2024 rainy season, catastrophic flooding claimed lives, damaged infrastructure, and delayed the start of the school year, trapping thousands in dire conditions and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

How you can help

CARE’s intention with this report is to raise awareness of what is happening in these countries and communities, highlighting where greater support is needed and capturing what initiatives people are taking to forge a better future for themselves.

You can join us in bringing into the light what is too often overlooked by sharing this story on your own social channels, and by keeping in the know about these and other global crises through the CARE News & Stories newsletter.