An estimated 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, including nearly one million cases of severe acute malnutrition, UNICEF said in a report, which warns that conditions are worsening across much of the country ahead of the annual peak hunger season.
The report found that wasting — a severe form of malnutrition characterized by rapid weight loss — has worsened in 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces compared with 2025, signaling what aid agencies described as an early and deepening nutrition crisis.
The warning comes weeks before the country’s peak wasting season, which runs from July through September and is expected to further strain health and nutrition services.
The report projects that 942,000 children will suffer severe acute malnutrition in 2026, while another 707,400 children are expected to experience high-risk moderate acute malnutrition. An additional 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are also expected to be affected.
Twelve provinces — Helmand, Kandahar, Daykundi, Zabul, Baghlan, Uruzgan, Paktika, Nuristan, Sar-e-Pul, Ghor, Faryab and Logar — are facing critical levels of acute malnutrition and remain among the areas of greatest concern.
Children younger than 2 account for the overwhelming majority of cases, representing 83 percent of severe acute malnutrition cases and 77 percent of moderate acute malnutrition cases nationwide. Nearly 40 percent of infants under six months receiving inpatient treatment are suffering from severe wasting accompanied by medical complications.
The report attributed the deterioration to a combination of worsening food insecurity, disease outbreaks, poor child diets, inadequate sanitation and shrinking access to nutrition services. Child food insecurity increased from 40 percent in late 2025 to 47 percent in the first quarter of 2026, according to the report.
Funding shortages are further aggravating the crisis. More than 800 nutrition sites providing treatment for moderate acute malnutrition have closed, while humanitarian agencies warn that critical nutrition and famine-prevention programs could be suspended in the coming months without additional funding.
The report estimates that 13.8 million people in Afghanistan are currently facing severe food insecurity. It also notes that large-scale returns from Pakistan and Iran — including about 500,000 returnees so far this year — are placing additional pressure on vulnerable households.
Despite the worsening situation, mortality rates remain within internationally accepted emergency thresholds, reflecting the impact of ongoing humanitarian interventions. Aid agencies cautioned, however, that those gains remain fragile and could be reversed if funding gaps persist.
Without an urgent expansion of nutrition services and humanitarian assistance, the report warns, malnutrition rates are likely to rise further during the remainder of 2026.
