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What happened, where and when?
Malnutrition has long been a pressing public health issue in Afghanistan, driven by a complex interplay of underlying and immediate factors. Prolonged drought, natural disasters, population displacement, a sharp increase in the cost of living, food insecurity, and widespread unemployment have all contributed to this crisis.
While these factors have been gradually exacerbating malnutrition over the years, the situation took a severe turn between May and September 2024. During this period, malnutrition rates soared to unprecedented and alarming levels, necessitating urgent and coordinated humanitarian interventions. A notable increase in acute malnutrition was observed among children and pregnant or lactating women nationwide.
This alarming trend was corroborated by the release of the 2024 Global Hunger Index on 10 October 2024, which underscored the worsening malnutrition and hunger crisis in Afghanistan. Reports indicated that the situation had deteriorated further due to rising humanitarian needs coupled with a decline in humanitarian funding. Although the crisis aects the entire country, Kandahar and Paktika provinces have emerged as the most severely impacted areas.
With the winter season having passed (November 2024 to February 2025), timely interventions remain essential to address the ongoing consequences of limited access to nutrition services during the peak months. Strengthening recovery eorts now is critical to prevent further deterioration in malnutrition outcomes and to build resilience ahead of the next seasonal cycle.