GENEVA (AN) — A U.N.-backed report shows droughts inflict widespread damage globally, driven primarily by the escalating effects of human-caused climate change and amplifying influence of the 2023-2024 El Niño phenomenon.
"Fueled by climate change and relentless pressure on land and water resources, some of the most widespread and damaging drought events in recorded history have taken place since 2023," the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday, citing the report.
The report, "Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025," underscores a rapidly deepening global crisis with profound implications for food security, energy supplies, international trade, and social stability.
The findings are the result of a collaborative effort between the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center, and International Drought Resilience Alliance. Ibrahim Thiaw, a forestry expert who is a U.N. undersecretary-general and UNCCD's executive secretary, characterized drought as a "silent killer," slowly eroding vital resources and devastating communities.
The report identifies several critical "drought hotspots" where the impacts have been most acute:
- Africa: Eastern and Southern Africa have borne the brunt, with over 90 million people facing acute hunger due to the worst droughts on record. In Zimbabwe, the 2024 corn harvest plummeted by 70%, doubling maize prices and leading to the death of 9,000 cattle. Somalia recorded 43,000 drought-linked hunger deaths in 2022, and by early 2025, a quarter of its population faced crisis-level food insecurity. Zambia is grappling with a severe energy crisis as the Zambezi River's water level has dropped to just 20% of its average, leaving the Kariba Dam operating at 7% capacity and causing extensive electricity blackouts that have crippled essential services like hospitals and factories. Beyond human impact, wildlife is also suffering; over 100 elephants died in Zimbabwe, and Botswana reported hippos stranded in desiccated riverbeds.
- Mediterranean: In Spain, two years of drought and record heat by September 2023 caused the olive crop to drop by 50%, effectively doubling olive oil prices globally. Morocco's sheep population declined by 38% since 2016, prompting even the cancellation of traditional Eid sacrifices. Turkey is confronting accelerated groundwater depletion, leading to the formation of over 1,600 sinkholes and a significant reduction in aquifer storage. Experts warn that Mediterranean countries are "canaries in the coal mine" for other modern economies, signaling broader climate, water, and environmental crises.
- Latin America: The Amazon Basin experienced record-low river levels in 2023 and 2024, resulting in mass deaths of fish and over 200 endangered river dolphins. This disrupted drinking water supplies for hundreds of thousands and posed considerable challenges for transport. The report warns that intensified deforestation and fires risk transitioning the Amazon from a carbon sink to a carbon source, further destabilizing global climate.
- Global trade impact: Declining water levels in the Panama Canal have forced a reduction in daily transits from 38 to 24 ships between October 2023 and January 2024. This bottleneck has created major disruptions in global supply chains, causing multi-week delays, forcing costly reroutes via the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope, impacting American soybean exports, and contributing to shortages and rising prices in grocery stores, even in the United Kingdom.
- Southeast Asia: Drought has disrupted production and supply chains of key crops such as rice, coffee, and sugar. Dry conditions in Thailand and India, for example, led to shortages that triggered an 8.9% increase in the price of sugar and sweets in the U.S. during 2023-2024, highlighting the interconnectedness of modern food systems.
Broader socioeconomic and ecological consequences
The report details layered impacts beyond immediate crop failures and water shortages. These include a rise in forced child marriages in Eastern Africa, where desperate families seek dowries to survive, and mass school dropouts in Zimbabwe due to hunger and sanitation issues.
Health risks are increasing, from cholera outbreaks to exposure to contaminated water. The report also stresses that drought is no longer merely a meteorological event but a complex social, economic, and environmental emergency. It proposes a multi-faceted strategy to transform drought preparedness and resilience:
- Enhanced monitoring: Implement stronger early warning systems and real-time drought and impact monitoring, integrating meteorological data with socioeconomic assessments to allow for proactive responses.
- Nature-based solutions: Promote watershed restoration, indigenous crop use, and reforestation of degraded lands.
- Resilient infrastructure: Invest in off-grid energy, water harvesting systems, and sustainable agricultural technologies.
- Global collaboration: Foster coordinated global financing and preparation, particularly for transboundary river basins and trade routes, as drought becomes a significant driver of economic shocks and ecosystem collapse. The report advocates for greater international partnerships to protect vulnerable people and ecosystems and re-evaluate current water use practices.
"This is not a dry spell,” stressed Mark Svoboda, a climatologist who directs the NDMC and co-authored the report. “This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I’ve ever seen. This report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of how drought affects lives, livelihoods, and the health of the ecosystems that we all depend on."
