Afghanistan: Nearly one in 10 children acutely malnourished amid closure of hundreds of health facilities
KABUL (August 13, 2026) – The number of acutely malnourished children in Afghanistan is increasing with nearly one in 10 children under five experiencing wasting while plummeting funding is causing essential services to shutter.[1]
Levels of wasting in children – or acute malnutrition – worsened in two-thirds of provinces in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to the UN, driven by increases in infectious diseases.[2] The peak season for malnutrition has only just begun in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained control five years ago this month.
Over the last four years, acute malnutrition in children under five has increased, affecting 3.7 million children in 2026.[3] The same four-year period has seen humanitarian aid for Afghanistan fall by almost 70% from $3.27 billion in 2022 to $1 billion in 2025, with only $438 million secured more than halfway through 2026.[4]
Hundreds of health facilities have been shut or suspended due to funding cuts, impacting 3.70 million people – around half of them children.[5]
Save the Children has kept 14 health clinics open following aid cuts with short-term funding, providing essential services in some of the most remote parts of the country, but the future of those clinics – and others – is now in jeopardy.
In a mountainous, hard to reach part of northern Afghanistan, Save the Children is the only healthcare provider for 10,000 people. The clinic sees over 100 patients every day, some of whom travel for two to three hours on foot to see doctors, nutrition nurses and midwives.
Transport options are limited and costly, and few can pay about US$60 to reach the city hospital. If the clinic closes, people will have to walk for seven hours for treatment.
Sama*, 35, lives with her seven children and her husband - who earns about US $3 a day - and relies on Save the Children’s free clinic when her children are sick. When her youngest child Mustafa*, nine months, became weak, she took him to the clinic where he was diagnosed with malnutrition and received treatment, while Sama* was advised on how to prepare nutritious food. Mustafa*’s condition has now stabilized, and he is recovering well. Left untreated, acute malnutrition can be life-threatening, but with the right treatment, many children can fully recover.
Sama* said:
“As he is the youngest child in the family, when he is unwell, the whole family becomes worried and does everything possible to make sure he recovers and stays healthy, active, and happy.”
Marva,* a Save the Children nutrition nurse at the clinic, said:
“Before this clinic was established, people had to travel to the district clinic, which could take several hours by donkey or motorbike, or to the city hospital, which was often almost inaccessible.
“Many community members could not afford the cost of treatment, and during the winter, roads are frequently blocked by snow, rainfall, and flooding, making them extremely difficult to cross and preventing people from accessing essential healthcare services."
Afghanistan’s population has grown by 12% since September 2023 - adding to increasing numbers in need as humanitarian funding is decimated. More than six million people have returned from Iran and Pakistan as both countries enforce criteria that Afghans must meet to avoid deportation.
Ashish Damle, Country Director, Save the Children in Afghanistan said:
“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.
“Poverty affects nutrition. Water scarcity contributes to illness. Illness interrupts education. Reduced household income increases child labor. Climate shocks, displacement, and declining economic opportunities deepen these pressures, creating a cycle that is increasingly difficult for families to escape.
“We know what Afghanistan’s 22 million children need. We know what works to break the ever-increasing crises that upend their lives, but essential humanitarian programs are under threat due to a devastating lack of funding and an absence of long-term development assistance from governments.
“The international community now faces a choice: continue responding only after families reach breaking point, or act early enough to protect children’s lives, rights and futures.”
Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including through periods of conflict, displacement and natural disasters. We currently run programs in nine provinces and work with partners across an additional 11 provinces, delivering services in health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods. Last year we reached more than 2 million people, nearly half children. Nearly 5,000 children were successfully treated for severe acute malnutrition, and 1.4 million people received outpatient consultations in our clinics.
Notes:
*Name changed to protect identity
[3] 2022: https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1156185/?iso3=AFG
2026: https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159817/?iso3=AFG
[4] Figures as of 4 August 2026. https://fts.unocha.org/countries/1/summary/2026
[5] 445 health facilities suspended or closed as of Dec 2025 https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-suspendedclosed-health-facilities-due-us-government-work-stop-ban-update-20-december-2025.
150 closed or suspended since Jan 2026 according to the World Health Organization. https://x.com/HananBalkhy/status/2074752651045294333?s=20
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.