Afghanistan: Minimum Expenditure Basket and the Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance Transfer Value (December 2025)

Afghanistan’s humanitarian landscape in 2025 remains shaped by overlapping economic, environmental, and social pressures that continue to influence household resilience. The Whole of Afghanistan Assessment (WoAA) 2025 indicates that 85 per cent of households experienced at least one environmental hazard in the past year, up from 77 per cent in 2024. Drought, water scarcity, and extreme temperatures have become increasingly common across both rural and urban areas, with 67 per cent of households facing two or more concurrent hazards. These recurring shocks, combined with a contracting economy and limited livelihood opportunities, continue to inform humanitarian needs nationwide.

Median household income per member decreased by 13 per cent compared with 2024, while median debt rose by 30 per cent to AFN 5,000 per person. Expenditure on essential goods such as food, rent, and water increased over the reporting period, narrowing households’ purchasing power. Reliance on unstable income sources, particularly casual labour, remains prevalent among returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and urban households, contributing to persistent levels of indebtedness.

Women’s economic participation shows slight improvements in overall engagement but continues to shift toward informal and home-based work, reflecting ongoing limitations on movement and employment. 55 per cent of women report a lack of job opportunities, and 51 per cent cite insufficient education as a barrier to work. Restrictions affecting female aid workers and health staff continue to be noted and influence access to services.

Returnees and IDPs continue to face constrained reintegration and livelihood prospects. More than 2.5 million returnees entered Afghanistan in 2025, primarily from Iran and Pakistan, amid rising living costs and limited opportunities for local absorption. The scale of returns is expected to contribute to a reduction in remittance flows from abroad, lowering financial support for some households and adding pressure to local labour markets. Income per household member among recent returnees fell by 25 per cent, and nearly half of IDPs report renting accommodation without formal agreements, increasing exposure to eviction. With reduced humanitarian funding and ongoing operational constraints, the proportion of households reporting receiving assistance declined from 34 per cent in 2024 to 24 per cent in 2025.

Food, livelihoods, and water access remain the top priority needs nationwide. Widespread drought and water scarcity have made access to drinking water a key challenge for 46 per cent of households, up from 31 per cent in 2024. Barriers to health care persist, with 25 per cent of households unable to seek care due to cost, while medicine shortages and gender-related restrictions continue to affect access for women.

Overall, Afghanistan faces a convergence of environmental hazards, economic pressures, and social constraints that continue to shape humanitarian needs and coping capacity. The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) estimates 22.9 million people in need of assistance, with women, persons with disabilities, and displaced populations facing elevated risks. The Cash Working Group (CWG), together with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Team (ICCT), continues to review the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) to ensure transfer values remain aligned with market conditions and support household purchasing power amid evolving dynamics.

The updated MPC transfer values set in this document have been integrated into the 2026 HNRP MPC section.