One million Afghan children suffering 'life-threatening' malnutrition, UNICEF says

Unicef has issued a warning about a deteriorating nutrition crisis in Afghanistan, claiming that over 1 million children are facing life-threatening malnutrition. The United Nations children's agency reported that 3.7 million children in the country are currently wasting, indicating acute malnutrition. Among these, one million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the most critical form, according to Tajudeen Oyewale, Unicef's representative in Afghanistan.

If no prompt action is taken, this figure could face imminent death, he informed a media briefing in Geneva from Kabul.

Afghanistan has a history of recurrent hunger crises, exacerbated by its recent struggles with civil war and the economic collapse following the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Among the hospitalized children with severe wasting and associated medical complications, approximately 40% are babies under six months old. Over 80% of the severe acute malnutrition cases involve children under the age of two.

Oyewale emphasized that malnutrition is a significant contributor to the increasing deaths among very young children in Afghanistan. He described the situation as a worsening nutrition crisis, with more than half a million children admitted to hospitals for high-risk, moderate, and severe wasting this year. In July 2025, around 6,000 cases were recorded, compared to more than 8,000 cases in July of this year, a third higher than the previous year.

In certain parts of southern Afghanistan, hospitals are currently overwhelmed, with three or four severe malnourished children occupying each available bed, he warned.