In addition, Smirnov et al.  conclude that worldwide the number of people exposed to extreme droughts will increase under both the RCP4.5 and the RCP8.5 particularly at the end of the century. The authors assess that under RCP4.5 the average monthly global population exposed to drought will increase between the periods 2008-2017 and 2081-2100 from a mean of 80 million to 212 million, and under RCP8.5 from about 90 million to approximately 472 million people. The research findings underscore that there is a high probability that exposure to extreme droughts will increase, particularly in regions and countries already classified as highly vulnerable  . Extreme droughts are expected to further erode coping and adaptive capacities of those already characterised by high levels of vulnerability . Building adaptive capacities for the most vulnerable groups in the future in these areas will be a challenge, since high levels of livelihood insecurity are coupled with high levels of structural vulnerability at national and regional scale  making planned adaptation support very complex and difficult. Therefore, increasing adaptation gaps at different scales are anticipated in the future.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report