Afghanistan's child malnutrition crisis deepens as cuts to aid put lives at risk

KABUL, Afghanistan – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm over a deepening child malnutrition crisis in Afghanistan, warning that funding shortfalls are forcing life-saving food and nutrition programmes to be scaled back at the very moment they are needed most. Without urgent support, WFP and its partners will be unable to prevent more children from becoming dangerously malnourished, putting lives at risk in the coming months. WFP’s warning follows the release of an alert that highlights that malnutrition is at critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces – a record number - and projected to continue to rise through October. Critical levels of child acute malnutrition indicate an urgent need for lifesaving treatment; 12 provinces are currently in this phase—Helmand, Daykundi, Zabul, Baghlan, Urozgan, Paktika, Nuristan, Sar-e-Pul, Ghor, Kandahar, Faryab, and Logar. Child malnutrition typically peaks in Afghanistan between July and October, driven by a surge in communicable diseases, poor water and sanitation, reduced access to essential nutrition services and increasing levels of food insecurity. However, this year, many children did not have enough to eat even during periods of peak food availability: child food insecurity rose to afflict 47 percent of the population in the first quarter. Malnutrition among Afghan children is rarely isolated and it dramatically increases the risk of child death. “Feeble cries of malnourished babies haunt the health clinics of Afghanistan as worried mothers—many themselves weakened by hunger—bring their children, desperate for treatment,” said WFP Country Director in Afghanistan John Aylieff. “We are witnessing the next generation waste away in spite of this being harvest time – a time of plenty. This is not simply heartbreaking—it is unacceptable.” Colliding crises—including conflict, unemployment, elevated food prices and reduced humanitarian funding—have driven this alarming rise in malnutrition. In 2025, 142 health centres across the country closed and more than 13,000 children were cut from nutrition treatment due to reductions in humanitarian assistance. This year, remaining nutrition programmes were crippled by a severe shortage of nutrition products driven by conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Pakistan border for nine months. These conflicts blocked supply routes and drove up costs. As a result, nearly one million malnourished mothers and children in Afghanistan missed out on essential nutrition services for five months. In Afghanistan nearly 3.7 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition, while 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are also expected to be malnourished – without immediate investment, these figures are set to rise. “Afghanistan is already gripped by one of the world’s most severe and unrelenting malnutrition crises, and these staggering numbers could climb even higher. This crisis could eclipse all previous projections and condemn countless more children and mothers to preventable death,” added Aylieff. Scaling up nutrition treatment and prevention services is critical to stop this crisis from escalating further. However, there is no funding available for prevention services which remain the most effective, cost-efficient and sustainable way to stop the crisis from deepening. WFP urgently requires USD 540 million over the next six months. Note to the editor Link to the nutrition alert here Hi-res photos here Broadcast quality footage here # # # The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @WFP_Afghanistan Afghanistan Conflicts Hunger NutritionFor more information please contact: Ziauddin Safi, WFP/Kabul, Mob. +93 70 693 4875 Geeta Bandi-Phillips, WFP/Bangkok, Mob + 66 63 197 7831 Julian Miglierini, WFP/ Rome, Mob. +39 348 2316793Martin Rentsch, WFP/Berlin, Mob +49 160 99 26 17 30 Rene McGuffin, WFP/ Washington, Mob. +1 771 245 4268