WFP Warns Hunger Crisis Deepens for Millions in Afghanistan This Winter

WFP Warns Hunger Crisis Deepens for Millions in Afghanistan This Winter
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More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing severe food insecurity this winter as hunger and child malnutrition worsen, with funding shortages sharply limiting aid efforts.
The UN World Food Programme warns that overlapping crises, including drought, economic decline and mass returns from neighbouring countries, are pushing millions closer to famine without urgent international support.

More details in the following report:
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More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing acute food insecurity as winter sets in, with hunger and malnutrition worsening nationwide, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. The agency warned that sharp funding cuts are severely limiting life-saving humanitarian assistance.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment, the number of Afghans experiencing acute hunger has risen by about three million compared with last year. In 2024, around 14.8 million people were affected, highlighting a rapid deterioration in food security conditions across the country.

WFP also warned of a growing child nutrition emergency. Nearly four million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the coming year. With malnutrition already at its highest levels in decades, reduced funding for health and nutrition services is restricting access to treatment for vulnerable families.

John Aylieff, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, said humanitarian workers are witnessing increasingly desperate coping strategies. Families are skipping meals for days, he said, while child mortality linked to hunger is rising and could worsen further during the winter months without urgent intervention.

Afghanistan is entering winter amid multiple overlapping crises, including prolonged drought affecting roughly half the country, widespread unemployment, economic decline and recent earthquakes that have displaced thousands. These factors have further eroded household resilience and increased reliance on humanitarian aid.

Additional strain has come from forced returns from neighbouring countries. Since the start of the year, about 2.5 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran, many arriving malnourished and without resources. WFP said it urgently needs $468 million to support six million people through winter, warning it can no longer sustain nationwide emergency programmes at previous levels.