Pakistan is facing a widening food security challenge, with nearly one-quarter of households experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity, even as the government increases defense spending and grapples with mounting fiscal pressures. The situation has brought renewed attention to the balance between military preparedness, economic stability and investment in essential services.
According to Pakistan’s Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) 2024-25, published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the proportion of households experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity rose from 15.92% in 2018-19 to 24.35% in 2024-25. Severe food insecurity also increased, from 2.37% to 5.04% over the same period, highlighting the deterioration in access to sufficient food across the country.
The findings point to growing pressure on household consumption, with families increasingly struggling to afford a balanced diet. The trend has emerged alongside persistent inflation, economic uncertainty and structural weaknesses in Pakistan's agricultural sector, raising questions about the country's ability to ensure affordable access to nutritious food.
Defense and development spending
The debate over national priorities has intensified following the government's proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which allocates 3 trillion Pakistani rupees ($10.7 billion) to defense, representing an increase of approximately 18% from the previous year.
At the same time, federal development expenditure has been set at 1 trillion rupees, while interest payments on public debt are projected to exceed 8 trillion rupees, placing considerable pressure on government finances.
According to Reuters, the budget reflects Islamabad's efforts to maintain its economic stabilization program under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrangement while addressing domestic fiscal constraints and security requirements.
Pakistan faces a range of security challenges, including militant violence, instability along its border with Afghanistan and recurring tensions with India. These factors have contributed to the government's emphasis on military preparedness.
However, the scale of defense allocations, alongside limited development spending and substantial debt obligations, has brought the allocation of public resources into sharper focus, particularly as food insecurity and other socioeconomic challenges persist.
Changing consumption patterns
The deterioration in food security is also reflected in changes to household diets.
A report published by Profit on August 31, drawing on Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data, documented declining consumption across several major food categories, including wheat, rice, pulses and animal proteins.
The report found that average monthly consumption of mutton, beef and chicken combined had fallen to approximately half a kilogram per person. Egg consumption had dropped to fewer than one egg every 10 days, while average fresh milk consumption stood at roughly one small glass per day.
The figures were considerably lower among the poorest 20% of the population. Their reported monthly consumption included just five grams of mutton, 31 grams of beef, 169 grams of chicken and slightly more than one egg per person.
The report also recorded an 81% increase in vanaspati ghee consumption, a shift it associated with households seeking cheaper sources of calories as more nutritious foods become increasingly difficult to afford.
Such changes raise concerns about the nutritional quality of diets, particularly among children and low-income families, for whom sustained access to protein and essential micronutrients is important for healthy development.
Agricultural potential and import dependence
Pakistan's food security challenges are particularly significant given the country's agricultural base and its historical position as a major producer of staple crops.
Despite this capacity, the country has been a net food importer since at least 2021, according to Profit. The report identifies weaknesses in storage, procurement and distribution as factors affecting the efficiency of domestic food supply chains.
One example is the country's electronic warehouse system, whose accredited storage capacity stands at approximately 461,550 tonnes. This represents around 1.6% of the 29.6 million tonnes of wheat produced during the 2025-26 season, according to the report.
Limited storage infrastructure can increase post-harvest losses and complicate efforts to stabilize supplies and prices, particularly when production is affected by weather conditions or disruptions in distribution.
Pakistan's dependence on imports also extends to other food commodities. The country imported 1.40 million tonnes of pulses worth $832 million in 2025-26, while domestic production remained close to 400,000 tonnes.
It also imported approximately $3.4 billion worth of palm oil in fiscal year 2025 and around $638 million in tea, exposing the domestic market to international prices, exchange-rate fluctuations and pressure on foreign-exchange reserves.
Climate pressures compound the challenge
Agricultural production faces additional risks from climate variability, water shortages and extreme weather events.
In its August 2026 outlook, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) warned that Pakistan's Kharif harvest was likely to fall below average, particularly because of inadequate monsoon rainfall.
The organization projected that food insecurity could worsen in parts of Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as households depleted existing food stocks and faced reduced agricultural income alongside high food prices.
It also identified persistent irrigation constraints in Sindh and parts of Balochistan as factors threatening agricultural output.
The findings underline the relationship between food security, agricultural productivity and climate resilience, particularly in rural areas where household incomes depend heavily on farming and agricultural labor.
An earlier assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), released in April 2026, found that approximately 7.5 million people across 45 vulnerable rural districts in Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity between December 2025 and March 2026.
The assessment attributed the situation to a combination of residual impacts from the 2025 monsoon floods, prolonged drought, dry spells and localized insecurity.
The broader implications for national security
The combination of rising food insecurity, agricultural vulnerabilities and fiscal constraints has highlighted the broader implications of food access for Pakistan's economic and social stability.
Food insecurity can affect household welfare, nutritional outcomes and the ability of children to develop and participate fully in education. At the national level, persistent malnutrition can also place additional pressure on healthcare systems and undermine long-term productivity.
These challenges have prompted wider discussion about the scope of national security, traditionally associated with territorial defense, military capabilities and protection against external threats.
The Pakistani case illustrates the policy challenge of addressing conventional security requirements while ensuring sufficient investment in agriculture, public health, education, food distribution and social protection.
The government's fiscal position complicates this task. High debt-servicing costs, IMF-backed fiscal targets and competing spending demands limit the resources available for new development programs, even as the need for interventions to improve food access becomes more pressing.
Addressing the crisis will therefore require more than increasing food supplies. Improvements in agricultural productivity, storage infrastructure, water management, climate resilience and targeted assistance to vulnerable households will be central to strengthening food security over the longer term.
For Pakistan, the challenge is to reconcile its security requirements with the economic and social conditions that underpin the well-being of its population, at a time when a growing share of households is struggling to maintain access to adequate and nutritious food.
