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Hunger in Afghanistan hits record as 15.9 million face acute food shortage
A global hunger monitor says nearly a third of Afghans are in crisis or worse, with winter set to push the number past 19 million. The UN says women's rights kept eroding over the summer.
Key points
- 15.9 million Afghans face acute food insecurity, the highest ever recorded.
- About 19.2 million are expected to be in crisis or worse over the winter lean season.
- 4.04 million children under five will need treatment for malnutrition in 2027.
Acute hunger in Afghanistan has reached the highest level ever recorded, with 15.9 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to an assessment by the global hunger monitor that uses the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
More than 32% of the population is now in phase 3, “crisis”, or worse, including 3.4 million people in phase 4, “emergency”. Acute malnutrition is also at record levels for the August to October period.
The outlook for the winter lean season, from November to April, is worse. About 19.2 million people are expected to fall into crisis or worse, 5 million of them in emergency conditions. Some 4.04 million children under five are projected to need treatment for malnutrition between January and December 2027.
Why it is getting worse
Better rain and improved harvests have helped food supply this year, but the analysis found that this has not made up for disease outbreaks, poor water and sanitation, sharply reduced access to nutrition services and economic strain on households. Falling humanitarian aid is cutting into families’ ability to cope.
“We still have a window to act, but it is closing fast,” said John Aylieff, the World Food Programme’s country director. Richard Trenchard, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s representative, said families needed “opportunities to earn a dependable living that helps them withstand the next shock”. Both agencies called for urgent money for food aid, emergency farm support and malnutrition care.
Rights under pressure
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, in a separate report covering July to September, said basic rights kept eroding, with women and girls hit hardest. Girls remain barred from school beyond grade six. The mission recorded more than 50 cases linked to the hijab, mostly in Herat and Kabul, including a 13-year-old girl held overnight, and at least 443 cases enforced by vice and virtue inspectors. It also documented public lashings of 22 men and six women, and a new police law published in August that bans all demonstrations.