How clinic closures left 3.7 million Afghan children acutely malnourished
Summary
A new report from Save the Children shows that 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition, a severe and sudden loss of weight and health. This rise in malnutrition is linked to the closure of many healthcare clinics due to a sharp drop in humanitarian aid after the Taliban took control in 2021.Key Facts
- Nearly 1 in 10 children under five in Afghanistan is acutely malnourished.
- Acute malnutrition means children are dangerously underweight for their height, often from lack of food or illness.
- Malnutrition rates worsened in two-thirds of Afghan provinces between early 2025 and early 2026.
- Around 600 health clinics have closed due to a loss of funding, affecting about 4 million people.
- Humanitarian aid fell nearly 70% from $3.27 billion in 2022 to $1 billion in 2025.
- Only $438 million in aid had been secured by mid-2026, leaving a 74% funding gap.
- Afghanistan’s population grew by 12% since late 2023, partly due to the return of over six million Afghans from Pakistan and Iran.
- The Taliban’s ban on female aid workers has limited aid delivery, especially for women and children.
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