UNICEF warns one million Afghan children face death from severe acute malnutrition

Scale of child wasting and mortality risks

Tajudeen Oyewale, the UNICEF country representative for Afghanistan, warned on 25 August 2026 that one million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition face the risk of death without immediate treatment. Speaking during a Geneva press briefing via video link from Kabul, Oyewale described severe acute malnutrition as hunger's worst form. Across Afghanistan, 3.7 million children currently suffer from wasting, representing the acute form of malnutrition. Since the beginning of 2026, healthcare facilities have admitted more than 500,000 children for high-risk, moderate, and severe wasting. Oyewale stated that malnutrition plays a central role in the rising number of deaths among very young children across the country. Oyewale explained that without rapid intervention and access to clinical care, hundreds of thousands of lives remain in immediate danger.

If there is no treatment and we are not able to act fast, that one million number are at risk of dying.

Hospital admissions and infant vulnerability

Severe acute malnutrition disproportionately affects the youngest children in Afghanistan. Children under two years old account for more than 80% of severe acute malnutrition cases recorded nationwide. Furthermore, infants under the age of six months make up nearly 40% of all hospital admissions for severe wasting accompanied by medical complications. Mothers suffering from severe malnutrition are giving birth to low-birth-weight infants who have low survival rates because of a lack of intensive care in neonatal units. In parts of southern Afghanistan, hospital capacity has been overwhelmed by the influx of malnourished patients.

In parts of southern Afghanistan, some hospitals are now seeing three or four severe malnourished children for every available bed.

Cases of severe acute malnutrition accompanied by medical complications have increased by more than a third over the past year. In July 2025, healthcare facilities recorded approximately 6,000 such cases, while by July 2026, admissions grew to surpass 8,000 cases.

Compounding crises and supply bottlenecks

According to the World Food Programme, nearly 14 million people face acute hunger in Afghanistan, out of a total population exceeding 45 million. The country has endured repeated hunger crises in recent decades through civil war and economic hardships. The current emergency follows deadly earthquakes in 2025, several climate disasters during 2026, and the return of millions of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan since 2023. These factors compound an economic collapse that followed the return of the Taliban to power in 2021 after the withdrawal of United States-led forces.

Humanitarian aid operations have faced additional difficulties due to regional border disputes. A conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the near-total closure of the land border between the two countries since October 2025 has disrupted primary logistical supply routes.

Funding shortfalls for emergency nutrition

UNICEF's nutrition program in Afghanistan requires approximately $180 million (about €150 million) for operations in 2026. As of late August 2026, the program is only 22% funded, leaving a wide resource gap for emergency relief efforts. In early August 2026, the World Food Programme announced that acute child malnutrition in Afghanistan had reached critical levels. Humanitarian agencies warn that without prompt financial support, they cannot sustain therapeutic feeding and medical interventions for the hundreds of thousands of children in need of urgent care. The lack of funding severely restricts the capacity of health workers to maintain emergency nutrition centers and deliver life-saving supplies across all provinces.