Child malnutrition in Afghanistan has reached critical levels in approximately one-third of the country’s provinces, with the situation expected to worsen due to funding shortfalls, ongoing conflict, and environmental challenges, according to United Nations agencies and humanitarian groups.
The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) reports that nearly 3.7 million Afghan children are suffering from acute malnutrition, with 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women also affected. This includes a significant number of children experiencing “wasting,” a severe form of malnutrition characterized by extreme thinness and the need for immediate therapeutic feeding. The WFP has highlighted that 12 provinces have reached record-high levels of acute child malnutrition, driven by factors such as decades of conflict, rising unemployment and food prices, outbreaks of disease, inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure, and reductions in humanitarian funding.
The crisis has been compounded by operational challenges, including supply disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the nine-month closure of the border with Pakistan, which has delayed the delivery of essential nutrition products. In addition, 142 health centers across Afghanistan closed in 2025 due to aid reductions, cutting off over 13,000 children from accessing nutrition treatment.
Humanitarian groups emphasize that funding shortages are forcing cuts to critical nutrition programs. The WFP announced that food distributions intended to prevent famine during the annual peak malnutrition season—July through October—may be suspended between August and October due to insufficient resources. The program urgently requires $540 million over the next six months to maintain services, but the broader humanitarian funding appeal for Afghanistan is only slightly more than 26% funded, prompting concerns about worsening malnutrition and child mortality rates.
Funding reductions have been linked in part to decreased contributions from donor countries. The United States, historically the largest donor to the WFP, provided more than $4 billion in 2024, supporting nearly half of the program’s global operations. However, under the Trump administration, aid levels were substantially cut. Although the U.S. Department of State announced an $800 million pledge to the WFP in June, Afghanistan was reportedly excluded from this funding allocation. Other Western donors, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, have also scaled back foreign aid amid economic constraints and domestic priorities such as increased defense spending and migration challenges.
Critics argue that Taliban governance and mismanagement, along with prolonged drought conditions, have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, humanitarian advocates stress the need for sustained international support, with calls for careful oversight to ensure aid reaches vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, rather than armed groups. They also point to donor fatigue and the complexity of administering aid in conflict zones as challenges that must be addressed.
The situation in Afghanistan reflects a broader global trend of worsening hunger in conflict-affected settings. The U.N. has highlighted similar crises elsewhere, including in Uganda, where funding shortages have forced cuts in refugee assistance, leading to increased malnutrition among children. Humanitarian officials warn that without increased and sustained funding, millions of vulnerable people in Afghanistan and other regions face a deepening humanitarian emergency.