Confusion in media reports about Bangladesh’s food insecurity
News was published in some of the country’s media outlets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) claiming that Bangladesh is in the fourth position in the world or among the top five countries in terms of food insecurity. On August 4, 2025, the news was first published by the daily Prothom Alo as its own report. Later, several other media outlets, including Dainik Kalbela, Kaler Kantho, Desh Rupantor, and Daily Sun, published separate reports as desk or online reports. The main information, statements, and even comments of some experts in these reports are almost identical.
After the reports were published, discussions and criticisms spread across social media. One side claimed that the food security situation in Bangladesh has worsened, which is the government’s failure. Another side claimed that the data in the reports is old and does not match reality.
The reports discussed in this fact-check stated that the main sources of this information are the Global Report on Food Crises 2025 and another report of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Dismislab, after checking the two reports used as sources in the media, found that there are multiple factual errors in the news reports. It also found that presenting the information without context has created confusion.
Factual Errors
The first incorrect information is about the main source, the ‘Global Report on Food Crises 2025.’ The news claimed that it was published jointly by five UN agencies: FAO, IFAD, WFP, WHO, and UNICEF. But the report is not from these five UN agencies. It was published by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), and in the “acknowledgments” section, it is said that the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) supported its publication. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) played a role in organizing the report’s launch event.
The second piece of incorrect information is about another report from the FAO, which is claimed as the second source. Prothom Alo’s news claimed, “In a separate report titled ‘Global Report on Food Crises’ given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), it has been said that Bangladesh ranks fourth among the 10 countries in the world facing a severe food crisis.” But verification found that FAO’s report is actually titled ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025.’ This report was prepared jointly by five UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP, WHO, and UNICEF).
The third problem is about the publishing date of the two reports. The news said, “Both reports were published within the last week.” That means, by the day the news was published, August 4, both reports should have been published within a week. But the Global Report on Food Crises 2025 was published in May 2025. The FAO report was published on July 28, which matches the timeline given in the news. But the main source of the information that “Bangladesh is fourth among 10 countries” is a report that is more than two months old.
Comparing the content of the news with the two original reports shows that the news was mainly based on FAO’s ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025’. But the name of this report was not mentioned in any of the news reports. In FAO’s report, information was quoted from the ‘Global Report on Food Crises 2025.’ The information that “Bangladesh is fourth among 10 countries” came as a contextual note in a box on page 12 of their report. This part was translated in the news. In this way, the two international reports were mixed up.
That means, because of mixing up the sources, the ‘Global Report on Food Crises 2025’ was wrongly presented as a publication of five UN agencies. The real source of the news was “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025” (which was indeed published jointly by the five agencies, and whose publication date matches the news). The information about Bangladesh’s position in food insecurity actually came from the first report, which was quoted in the second report. Since the information was not taken directly from the primary source, much relevant context was missed.
Confusion due to a lack of context
The main focus of every report published in Kaler Kantho and Prothom Alo was that Bangladesh is one of the top five countries in severe food insecurity. Daily Desh Rupantor and Kalbela made headlines like “Bangladesh ranks fourth in food insecurity in the world.” The English newspaper Daily Sun said that Bangladesh ranks fourth in severe food insecurity in the world.
This information came from the Global Report on Food Crises 2025. But the report nowhere mentioned any ranking or list. They wanted to study the food security situation of 65 countries. and in 53 countries, GRFC found sufficient data or they met the required criteria. The report was prepared only for these 53 countries.
According to FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) assessment of 2024, countries that required external assistance were selected for this report, and Bangladesh was included in that. In addition, countries or regions that had Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) in 2024 were also included. Also considered were some low- or middle-income countries or regions that requested and received emergency assistance in 2024. High-income countries were not considered because it was assumed they could handle crises without external assistance.
The first figure shows that, by population, Bangladesh is among the top ten countries with high levels of severe food insecurity, standing at fourth. The calculation is based on the “peak” of 2024 – meaning the maximum number of people in each country who experienced extreme food crises at any point during 2024. The figure was taken from the original report.
It says that during a peak period in 2024, 23.6 million people in Bangladesh faced severe food insecurity. And the figure is in terms of numbers. The second figure shows the percentage of the population with severe food insecurity in different countries or regions. Bangladesh is not among the top ten there.
The reports published in the media lacked this context, which was clearly provided in the original source, the Global Report on Food Crises 2025. The report said that the estimates were mainly based on data from late 2023 to December 2024. On page 121, there is a section only about Bangladesh. Summarized in Bengali, it says:
In 2024, analysis showed that 23.6 million people in Bangladesh, about 26% of the population, were in severe food insecurity. Among them, 1.6 million were in emergency conditions (which is worse than severe food insecurity). This count also includes Rohingya refugees. Among them, 30% (about 300,000) suffered high levels of food insecurity. Usually, the peak season of food insecurity is from April to September. But due to repeated floods and storms, in 2024, the situation was worse from October to December. Since many flood-affected districts were newly included in the IPC analysis from 2023, the number suddenly increased. Food crises rose in the districts of Barisal, Khulna, and Chattogram. Among them, Barisal was the most affected due to extreme weather.
The report pointed out three main reasons for the increase: Cyclone Remal in May 2024, floods in mid-August, and the arrival of 65,000 new Rohingya refugees due to conflict. In addition, since 2023, many new districts of Bangladesh have been included in the IPC analysis, along with the Rohingya refugee camps.
The Global Report on Food Crises 2025 took this information from IPC classification, or “Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.” Fifty-five countries, including Bangladesh, are actively engaged in IPC implementation and have done IPC analysis or training at least once. These statistics are updated regularly by 21 international organizations, and an open database is also available. Looking there, it is found that from October to December 2024, about 23.6 million people (26% of the sample population) were in high levels of severe food insecurity (phases 3 and 4 combined). But in April 2025, the number dropped to about 15.5 million (16% of the sample). IPC says by the end of 2025, this may rise slightly to 17% of the population, mainly due to food uncertainty among the Rohingya population.
What happened because of a lack of context in the news
Because of the missing context in the news, people on social media interpreted it in different ways. Some thought it reflected the current situation, while others said it was old data used to mislead people. Some even accused the media of agenda-setting.
Reactions were mainly of two types. One side claimed the report’s data is exaggerated, outdated, or does not match the real situation. They said the situation in Bangladesh is not like a food shortage or famine. For example, to claims like “there is fear of food shortage in Bangladesh” or “people are starving,” a user wrote, “This information has no real basis. For a crisis like famine or widespread hunger, there must be long-term crop failure, huge price hikes, failure in food imports, or ongoing natural disasters. There is no such situation in Bangladesh now.”
Another side said that the food security situation in Bangladesh has worsened because of the government’s failure. For example, one Facebook user wrote, “The top five countries we have joined in competition are truly remarkable and unique.” Another wrote, “Give another Nobel Prize to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, BNP-Jamaat, and the Laal Badr who supported him, for the great success of raising a food self-sufficient country to the top 5 in food insecurity within one year! And with the Nobel hanging on your neck and stones tied to your stomach, prepare mentally to fight hunger!” Another post said, “Yet, until July 2024, Bangladesh was a food self-sufficient country! If this is the situation within one year… well, don’t worry… just enjoy….”
The reports are also being used as important study material for students. For example, in a job exam preparation group called “45th BCS,” information from the media reports was shared (6). It said, “The Global Report on Food Crises 2025, jointly published by five UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP, WHO, and UNICEF), and a separate FAO report show that Bangladesh ranks fourth among 53 crisis-affected countries and regions.”
The five IPC phases
This international framework divides food security into five phases, which show where and how badly people are affected by the food crisis.
- Phase 1: No or minimal food insecurity. Families can easily get enough food.
- Phase 2: Stressed. Families can cope, though food intake is limited. Livelihoods are not heavily affected.
- Phase 3: Crisis. Major food shortages and malnutrition appear. Families sell assets or borrow to meet food needs.
- Phase 4: Emergency. High risk of malnutrition and death. Survival is hard without urgent assistance.
- Phase 5: Famine/Catastrophe. Severe food shortage and starvation deaths. Survival is very difficult.
The figure published in the ‘Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2025’ mainly shows Phase 3. This phase is so important because if timely steps are not taken, the situation can quickly worsen. That means a crisis can turn into an emergency or famine.
Among the countries in Phase 4, Bangladesh ranks eighth in terms of population size. In this phase, people face extreme food shortages, malnutrition, and the risk of death, where survival is difficult without urgent aid. According to GRFC data, 1.6 million people in Bangladesh are in this phase, most of them from flood-affected Sunamganj and Kurigram districts. Sudan is at the top in this phase. Afghanistan is second. Other countries are, respectively, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Pakistan, and Haiti. Bangladesh comes next. Yemen is ninth. Only countries with more than one million people in this phase have been mentioned here.
According to the GRFC report, in Palestine (Gaza), Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali, people in these five countries are in Phase 5, or famine-like conditions.
