The United Nations’ World Food Programme is sounding alarm bells about Kyrgyzstan’s vulnerability to a rapid increase of hunger.

The WFP’s latest annual report on social and economic conditions in Kyrgyzstan contends the country is highly exposed to “internal and external shocks” that could deepen already substantial problems relating to poverty and food insecurity. The report notes that Kyrgyzstan’s poverty rate is substantially higher now than in 2020, when the Covid pandemic wrought economic havoc.

“Despite a 9 percent increase in Gross Domestic Product in 2024, social inequalities continue to hinder inclusive development,” says the report. “Economic growth has not significantly reduced poverty, with 30 percent of the population living in poverty and an additional 10 percent at risk of falling below the poverty line.”

Among the risk factors threatening food security are a “heavy reliance on food imports,” and regional geopolitical factors mainly relating to labor migration. In particular, Russia’s tightening of rules covering Central Asian guest workers could result in a debilitating decrease in remittances that many families in Kyrgyzstan rely on to help meet essential needs, the report cautions.

Environmental challenges heightened by global warming, including drought, glacier melt and floods, compound uncertainty, the WHP asserts. Food prices today are roughly 50 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels, due to inflation, it adds.

“As a result, 36 percent of the population cannot afford a nutritious diet, while 72 percent of households also rely on coping strategies – such as spending savings, borrowing money, and reducing expenses on education and health – to meet their food and other basic needs,” the report states.