High inflation and rising food prices pose a challenge to economies across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where growth is expected to slow in the coming year to 3% after growing 5.8% in 2022. Oil exporters, who benefited from a windfall in 2022, will decelerate the most, but a large gap remains between high-income countries and the rest of the region. Titled “Altered Destinies: The Long-Term Effects of Rising Prices and Food Insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa,” this twice-yearly edition focuses specifically on the impact of food price inflation on food insecurity. Double-digit food inflation is weighing heavily on developing economies in the region, with the poor hit hardest for food price hikes.
Last Updated: Apr 06, 2023