A new UNICEF report warns that 3.7 million Afghan children under the age of five are at risk of malnutrition, urging urgent investment in preventive nutrition measures before the country’s annual peak hunger season.
A new UNICEF report warns that 3.7 million children under the age of five in Afghanistan are at heightened risk of malnutrition, as worsening food insecurity and poor nutrition continue to threaten the lives of the country’s youngest and most vulnerable. The report, highlights an alarming deterioration in children’s nutrition across the country, calling for urgent investment in preventive measures before the annual peak malnutrition season intensifies.
Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises following decades of conflict, economic collapse, and recurring climate shocks. Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the country has experienced a sharp decline in international funding, widespread poverty, and increasing pressure on already fragile health and social services. Women and girls also continue to face sweeping restrictions on education, employment, and public life, compounding the challenges faced by families across the country.
For the first time, UNICEF has assessed child malnutrition alongside household food and nutrition insecurity among the same group of children in every province of Afghanistan. The analysis identifies early warning signs – including reduced dietary diversity, skipped meals, and children eating less than they need, and going hungry – that often precede acute malnutrition.
The report comes as Afghanistan enters the period when acute malnutrition traditionally reaches its highest levels between July and September. However, recent data from the country’s Nutrition Cluster indicate the crisis is worsening earlier than expected, with acute malnutrition increasing in 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces compared to 2025.
Children under the age of two are bearing the heaviest burden. They account for 83 per cent of severe acute malnutrition cases and 77 per cent of moderate acute malnutrition cases nationwide.
“Young children in Afghanistan are slipping into malnutrition even before the peak season has begun.” These new findings give us an opportunity to act before children reach severe malnutrition. When families begin skipping meals or cutting back on nutritious foods, it is not simply a sign of hardship – it is an early warning that a child may soon develop acute malnutrition.”
While treatment remains essential to saving lives, greater investment is needed in prevention, beginning with improving the diets of young children and pregnant women. According to UNICEF, deteriorating child nutrition is being fuelled not only by food insecurity, but also by disease outbreaks, low vaccination coverage, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services, and growing shortages of funding and essential supplies.
