Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
UNICEF reports that one million children in Afghanistan, mostly under two years old, are facing severe acute malnutrition, compromising their immune systems and increasing their vulnerability to infections. According to the agency, this age group accounts for 83% of severe malnutrition cases. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and in some southern regions, three to four severely malnourished children compete for every available hospital bed. Admissions for severe acute malnutrition with medical complications rose from 6,000 in July 2025 to 8,000 in July 2026, a one-third increase.
The surge in malnutrition cases is attributed to overlapping environmental and political challenges. Afghanistan has endured consecutive years of drought followed by heavy rainfall and flash floods. The ongoing record-strength El Niño is expected to further intensify extreme weather events. Regional instability has disrupted cross-border trade, and the return of over six million people since 2023 has strained the job market and public services, including health and housing. According to UNICEF, these pressures have resulted in smaller, less frequent, and less nutritionally adequate meals for families, with children's first foods sometimes limited to bread with tea or watered-down yoghurt.
Although treatment for malnutrition exists, its reach has diminished due to funding cuts. More than 100 sites treating children with severe wasting have closed this year compared to 2025, increasing the burden on remaining facilities. UNICEF's nutrition program has received only 22% of its $180 million funding target for the year. The agency emphasizes the importance of early intervention, which is both life-saving and more cost-effective than waiting for children to become critically ill.