Khaberni - The food price index in Jordan decreased by 0.9% during the last November, following two consecutive increases in September and October that did not exceed 1%, according to World Bank data.
In related news, data from the General Statistics Department showed a slight decrease in the general consumer price index (inflation) by 0.31% in November compared to October. Meanwhile, the annual inflation rate in November rose by 1.28% compared to the same month in 2024. Moreover, it increased by 1.81% for the first eleven months of this year compared to the same period of 2024.
According to the World Bank report, the food price index rose by 0.8% in October and by 1% in September, after a decline of 1% in August, and a rise in July by 0.1%, and in June and May by 3% for each, and in April by 1.7%, in March by 0.3%, in February by 2%, and in January by 3.1%.
The average monthly net change in the food price index since the beginning of the year until the end of last November was about 1.19%.
The World Bank update comes amidst global assessments painting a "bleak picture" of increasing food insecurity, driven by accumulations of fragility, conflicts, and climate shocks.
The "Hotspot Hunger" report released by the World Food Programme warned of deteriorating food security in 16 countries over the next year, with Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria re-entering the list.
The “Global Outlook 2026” by the World Food Programme highlighted a 20% increase in the number of people facing "acute" food insecurity since 2020. Meanwhile, the "Global Hunger Index" emphasized conflict as the major driver of hunger, exacerbated by climate change, which has become a "permanent threat" rather than a sporadic event.
On a global trend level, the World Bank update showed that domestic food price inflation remains at "moderately high" levels. Data for August and November 2025 indicate that food inflation exceeded 5% in 45% of low-income countries (down by 10.6 percentage points from the last update on October 31, 2025), 43.5% of lower-middle-income countries (down by 7.6 percentage points), 41.9% of upper-middle-income countries (down by 13.1 percentage points), and 9.1% of high-income countries (down by 10.9 percentage points). In real terms, food price inflation surpassed general inflation in 54% of the 166 countries for which data is available.
In global agricultural commodity markets, the update noted that both agriculture and grain prices indices rose by 1% and 3% respectively since the previous update on October 31, while the export price index remained unchanged. Prices of wheat, corn, and rice rose by 1%, 4%, and 5% respectively. On a yearly basis, corn prices increased by 2%, while wheat prices decreased by 3% and rice prices declined by 29%.
According to the AMIS report for December 2025, global markets are "well supplied," with decreasing wheat and rice prices, stable corn prices, increasing soybean prices, and a slight decline in fertilizer costs, although rising input costs continue to limit demand in low-margin systems.
The update outlined the World Bank's responses to food security, noting that its food and nutrition portfolio extends across 90 countries, including short-term interventions such as expanding social safety nets, and long-term measures to enhance resilience such as increasing productivity and climate-smart agriculture, expecting to benefit 327 million people by 2030.
Among the examples provided by the bank, a $125 million project it funds in Jordan aims to promote the development of the agricultural sector by enhancing its climate resilience, increasing competitiveness and inclusiveness, and ensuring food security in the medium and long term.
