Afghanistan is facing a worsening hunger crisis as declining foreign aid, economic hardship and mass deportations from neighboring countries push millions closer to food insecurity. Humanitarian agencies warn that the situation is particularly dangerous for children, with acute malnutrition rising sharply across the country.
The United Nations estimates that 3.7 million Afghan children will need treatment for acute malnutrition this year, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). That figure represents roughly 200,000 more children than last year, highlighting the scale of the crisis.
“Acute malnutrition among children is soaring,” John Aylieff, the WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, said during a briefing in Geneva. He noted that the previous year saw the largest surge in malnutrition ever recorded in Afghanistan.
Despite the growing need, humanitarian resources remain limited. According to the World Food Programme, funding shortages mean the agency can currently treat only one out of every four children who require treatment for acute malnutrition.
Geography and seasonal conditions also make the crisis more severe. Aylieff said many families in remote mountainous areas cannot reach clinics during winter, when snowfall isolates villages and cuts off access to medical care.
Most children who die in Afghanistan do so “during the winter at home silently,” Aylieff said, warning that the full impact of the crisis may only become visible when snow melts in the spring.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation has deteriorated significantly since 2021, when U.S.-led forces withdrew from the country and the Taliban regained power. International aid to Afghanistan has declined sharply since then, weakening food assistance programs that once supported millions of people.
The country’s economic situation has also worsened. According to humanitarian reports, Afghanistan has experienced rising unemployment, currency instability and sharply increasing food prices since the Taliban returned to power and international sanctions were imposed.
Climate conditions have further intensified the crisis. Afghanistan has experienced severe droughts, floods and earthquakes in recent years, which have destroyed crops and disrupted livelihoods in many rural communities.
Mass deportations from neighboring countries have added new pressure on already strained resources. According to the World Food Programme, more than 2.5 million Afghans have been expelled from Iran and Pakistan over the past year, swelling the population and cutting off remittances that many families depended on. Aid agencies say these returning families often arrive with few resources and settle in communities that are already struggling with food shortages and limited job opportunities.
Security conditions have also affected humanitarian operations. Recent clashes between Afghan and Pakistani troops near the border have forced the World Food Programme to suspend some services in affected areas.
Aylieff warned that conflict could further worsen the situation by preventing people from accessing health services and humanitarian aid.
The broader outlook for food security in Afghanistan remains severe. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 17.4 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity in 2026, representing roughly one third of the country’s population. The agency also estimates that 4.7 million people could experience emergency levels of hunger.
Malnutrition among women and children is expected to reach nearly 5 million people in 2026, according to humanitarian assessments.
Humanitarian organizations say funding shortages remain one of the biggest obstacles to responding to the crisis. The WFP estimates that it urgently needs $386 million to deliver food assistance to 6 million of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable people.
International agencies are attempting to respond. In January 2026, the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank launched a two year, $100 million food security program designed to support more than 151,000 Afghan families, including people returning from Iran and Pakistan and communities affected by earthquakes and floods.
The project aims to address immediate food shortages while also improving agricultural production and helping stabilize Afghanistan’s food system. However, humanitarian groups warn that without greater international support, millions of Afghans could face worsening hunger in the coming years.
