Afghanistan ranked 116th out of 127 countries in this year’s Global Hunger Index, with a score of 30.8, highlighting the nation’s worsening food insecurity under Taliban rule.
Last year, Afghanistan held the 114th position with a score of 30.6, but recent data show further deterioration in the country’s food crisis.
The report reveals that 30.4 percent of Afghanistan’s population suffers from malnutrition, and 5.8 percent of Afghan children die before reaching the age of five. Additionally, 44.6 percent of Afghan children under five are stunted, indicating chronic malnutrition, while 3.6 percent are underweight due to acute malnutrition.
The Index describes Afghanistan’s hunger situation as “serious,” alongside 35 other countries facing similar crises. The conditions have intensified since last year, as the nation grapples with a prolonged humanitarian crisis that, according to the United Nations, leaves over 24 million Afghans in need of humanitarian aid.
The report also warns that progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating hunger by 2030 is increasingly unlikely, given the limited advancements since 2016.
