Pakistan

Middle East and Asia Subscribe to Pakistan reports
Pakistan
Pakistan reporting

FEWS NET produces occasional analyses of acute food insecurity in Pakistan using secondary data and information.
Targeted Analysis September 2025 Food security impacts of 2025 floods in Pakistan Download the report
  • Heavy monsoon rains between July and August 2025 caused widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in 900 deaths, destruction of over 1.3 million hectares (ha) of cropland, significant livestock losses, and key infrastructure damage. Punjab and Khyber Pahktunkhwa (KP) provinces are of highest concern: eastern Punjab experienced the greatest crop damage and KP recorded the highest number of human and livestock deaths. Localized downstream impacts are also expected in Sindh Province. Because wheat, the country’s staple food, was harvested earlier this year and remains unaffected, a significant decline in food availability at the Summary Statement on Concern for Acute Food Insecurity The current level of concern for acute food insecurity in Pakistan (relative to a limited scale of low, moderate, and high), is moderate, with concern concentrated in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. national level is not expected. Nevertheless, poor households in flood-affected areas will lose income from crop and labor disruptions. The need for humanitarian assistance is expected to peak between September and November, when the kharif harvest becomes more widely available.
  • Malnutrition levels in Pakistan remain structurally high and could further deteriorate in flood-affected areas, driven not primarily by lack of food, but rather poor dietary diversity and poor access to sanitation and hygiene services. Flood-related damage to water and sanitation systems, combined with reduced access to diverse foods and health services, could increase the risk of acute malnutrition in the coming months (particularly in KP, where malnutrition levels already exceed critical thresholds).
  • Pakistan entered the 2025 monsoon season with an improved macroeconomic context compared to recent years. Stabilized foreign exchange reserves, a stable Pakistani rupee (PKR), and declining food inflation have strengthened Pakistan’s ability to absorb flood-related shocks. Wheat availability remains above national requirements, supported by a strong 2024/25 harvest and sufficient carryover stocks. Anticipated wheat price increases of 8-10 percent in the coming months are expected due to flood-related market supply disruptions, but will likely return to near-normal levels once affected roads are restored. However, localized production losses of kharif season crops due to flooding is expected, particularly for rice, sugarcane, cotton, and vegetables.
  • Unlike 2022, when Pakistan experienced severe levels of flooding, FEWS NET does not anticipate widespread or prolonged impacts on national food security. The 2025 floods are less extensive, with fewer provinces affected and lower rainfall totals compared to 2022. Improved macroeconomic conditions and adequate wheat supply also reduce the risk of large-scale food price spikes that significantly reduced household purchasing power in 2022/23. FEWS NET expects that the 2025 floods will primarily drive short-term, localized, acute food insecurity among flood-affected households.
 Read the full analysis
Get the latest food security updates in your inbox Sign up for emails

The information provided on this Website is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Government.