Hunger in Madagascar is projected to worsen later this year, with the number of people facing crisis levels of food insecurity expected to rise by 75%, according to a report published by Save the Children.

About 502,000 children under the age of five, or one in 10 children in the country, along with 21,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition between May 2026 and April 2027.

"This includes about 78,000 children expected to have severe acute malnutrition, the most severe form of acute malnutrition requiring urgent medical treatment," said the Global Hunger Monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

The report estimated that the number of people facing crisis levels of hunger between October this year and February next year could rise to 3.72 million, or about 10% of the population, while nearly 426,000 people are likely to face emergency conditions, more than double the current figure.

"Save the Children is calling on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian funding for food assistance, nutrition services, healthcare and climate-resilient support for vulnerable families before conditions worsen during the lean season," Tatiana Dasy, the organization's country representative to Madagascar, said in comments on the report. (AA)