Global Drought Snapshot 2023

Humans are responsible for all global heating over the past 200 years leading to a current temperature rise of 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. This has led to more frequent and hazardous weather events including drought (IPCC, 2023). 

98 per cent of the 32.6 million new disaster displacements in 2022 were the result of weather-related hazards such as storms, floods and droughts. (Migration Data Portal, 2023). 

Based on data reported by 101 country Parties to the UNCCD, 1.84 billion people are drought stricken, out of which 4.7 per cent are exposed to severe or extreme drought (UNCCD, 2023).

Compared to men, women and children are over 14 times more likely to be killed by climate fueled disasters. In addition to posing a direct threat to their lives, disasters expose women to other protection risks, [which are] acute in displacement contexts (DGAP, 2022).

As of the end of December 2022, the ongoing drought had left approximately 23 million people severely food insecure across the Horn of Africa (WFP,2023). 

85% of people affected by droughts live in low- or middle-income countries (World Bank, 2023).