Nearly 1 In 10 Afghan Children Under 5 Faces Acute Malnutrition, Report Warns

Child malnutrition is worsening in Afghanistan as a growing number of refugees return from Pakistan and Iran.

Nearly one in 10 children under five now suffers from acute malnutrition, local media reported.

Save the Children said acute malnutrition deteriorated in two-thirds of Afghanistan’s provinces during the second quarter of 2026. The figure rose compared with the same period last year.

The United Nations attributed the current increase partly to rising infectious diseases.

Afghanistan has entered its peak malnutrition season. The Taliban regained control of the country five years ago.

Acute malnutrition among children under five has increased by 14 per cent over the past four years. It now affects 3.7 million children in 2026.

Funding cuts have also forced nearly 600 health facilities to close or suspend operations.

Humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan plunged by almost 70 per cent, falling from USD 3.27 billion in 2022 to USD 1 billion in 2025.

Save the Children Country Director in Afghanistan, Ashish Damle, said hunger, mass returns from Iran and Pakistan, displacement, disasters, conflict and prolonged drought were overwhelming humanitarian resources.

“The world cannot look away. Severe hunger, the staggering number of returnees and mass internal displacement due to disasters, recent conflict and four years of drought are stretching limited humanitarian resources to the brink,” he said.

The NGO noted that Afghanistan’s population has grown by up to 12 per cent since September 2023. This has further increased humanitarian needs as funding continues to decline.

More than six million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, according to the organisation.

Both countries have tightened conditions for Afghans seeking to remain, forcing many to face deportation.

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