One million children in Afghanistan face deadly malnutrition

Malnutrition, caused by a lack of access to adequate food, weakens the immune system and makes children much more susceptible to common infections.

United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEFsaid on Tuesday that children under the age of two currently account for 83 percent of cases of severe acute malnutrition.

Hospitals are overwhelmed

Hospitals are overwhelmed by rising demand, UNICEF warns.

In southern Afghanistan, hospitals treat three to four malnourished children for every available bed.

Cases of severe acute malnutrition treated for medical complications have increased by a third compared to the same period last year – from 6,000 in July 2025 to 8,000 in July 2026.

Overlapping crises

The spike in malnutrition cases is caused by various environmental and political factors.

Afghanistan has experienced consecutive years of drought, followed by destructive torrential rains and flash floods. The El Niño climate pattern, which reached record highs this year, is expected to exacerbate extreme weather.

At the same time, regional instability is disrupting cross-border trade and the return of the country of six million people from 2023 is putting pressure on job markets and overwhelmed public services, including housing and health services.

UNICEF says these pressures mean families are unable to provide adequate food to their children; meals become smaller, rarer, and less nutritionally varied.

A child’s first meal at six months may be just bread with tea or runny yoghurt, the agency said in a latest report.

Provide care

Treatment for malnutrition does exist.

Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan tells the story of Sagida, a 9-month-old girl he met in a hospital in eastern Afghanistan.

He comes from a remote village in a neighboring province that was recently hit by heavy flooding. A UNICEF-trained health worker found him there, suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and referred him to hospital.

“When Sagida was first admitted to hospital, the doctors had no hope that she would survive. Her weight was only 4 kg. However, after receiving therapeutic milk, her condition is now stable,” explained Mr. Oyewale.

Cost-effective funding

Due to cuts in funding for humanitarian aid, more than 100 places caring for malnourished children have closed this year compared to 2025, putting additional pressure on the centers that remain open, UNICEF said.

The agency’s nutrition program received only 22 percent of the $180 million in funding needed this year.

“We should not wait until a child is very thin and lying in hospital before we intervene. […] Acting early not only saves lives. It is also much more cost-effective than waiting until a child is severely malnourished and requires life-saving treatment,” said Mr Oyewale.