KABUL, Aug 25 (Alliance News): Around one million children in Afghanistan are suffering from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, as the country faces a worsening nutrition crisis.
The UN children’s agency UNICEF said around 3.7 million children across Afghanistan are suffering from wasting, meaning they are acutely malnourished.
Of those, one million are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, the most serious form of the condition, UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Tajudeen Oyewale said.
“If there is no treatment, and we are not able to act fast, that one million number are at risk of dying,” Oyewale told a media briefing in Geneva from Kabul.
He warned that the situation was deteriorating across the country, with malnutrition increasingly affecting very young children.
Infants among most vulnerable
According to UNICEF, nearly 40% of children admitted to hospitals with severe wasting and medical complications are babies under six months old.
Children under the age of two account for more than 80% of severe acute malnutrition cases in Afghanistan, highlighting the particular vulnerability of infants and toddlers.
“Malnutrition plays a central role” in the growing number of deaths among very young children, Oyewale said.
He described the situation as a “worsening nutrition crisis”, with more than 500,000 children admitted to hospitals so far this year for high-risk, moderate and severe wasting.
Malnutrition cases surge
The number of children being treated for severe malnutrition has also increased sharply.
UNICEF data showed that around 6,000 cases were recorded in July 2025, compared with more than 8,000 cases in July this year, representing an increase of about one-third.
Oyewale warned that health facilities in some parts of the country are struggling to cope with the growing number of severely malnourished children.
“In parts of southern Afghanistan, some hospitals are now seeing three or four severely malnourished children for every available bed,” he said.
Afghanistan faces prolonged humanitarian crisis
Afghanistan has experienced repeated hunger and humanitarian crises over recent decades as a result of conflict, political instability and economic hardship.
The country’s economic situation deteriorated further after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led international forces.
The latest nutrition crisis comes as vulnerable families continue to face difficulties accessing adequate food and healthcare, while hospitals and humanitarian organisations struggle to meet the growing demand for treatment.
UNICEF has warned that rapid action and increased support are needed to prevent severe malnutrition from claiming more young lives.
