The number of acutely malnourished children in Afghanistan is rising, with nearly one in 10 children under five experiencing wasting as plummeting funding forces essential services to shut down, according to a press release by Save the Children issued from Kabul on August 13, 2026. Levels of wasting worsened in two-thirds of provinces in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, driven by increases in infectious diseases. The peak malnutrition season has only just begun in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained control five years ago this month. Hundreds of health facilities have closed or been suspended due to funding cuts. The crisis threatens millions of children as humanitarian resources dwindle.
Over the last four years, acute malnutrition in children under five has increased, affecting 3.7 million children in 2026. During the same period, humanitarian aid for Afghanistan fell by almost 70%, from $3.27 billion in 2022 to $1 billion in 2025, with only $438 million secured more than halfway through 2026. Health facility closures have impacted 3.70 million people, around half of them children. Afghanistan’s population has grown by 12% since September 2023. More than six million people have returned from Iran and Pakistan as both countries enforce criteria that Afghans must meet to avoid deportation.
Save the Children has kept 14 health clinics open following aid cuts using short-term funding, delivering essential services in some of the most remote parts of the country. However, the future of those clinics is now in jeopardy. In a mountainous, hard-to-reach part of northern Afghanistan, Save the Children is the only healthcare provider for 10,000 people. The clinic sees over 100 patients every day, some of whom travel for two to three hours on foot to see doctors, nutrition nurses and midwives. If the clinic closes, people will have to walk for seven hours for treatment.
Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including through periods of conflict, displacement and natural disasters. The organization currently runs programs in nine provinces and works with partners across an additional 11 provinces. Services span health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods. Last year the organization reached more than 2 million people, nearly half of them children. Nearly 5,000 children were successfully treated for severe acute malnutrition, and 1.4 million people received outpatient consultations in its clinics.