UN reports sharpest rise in child hunger ever recorded in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has seen the sharpest spike in child malnutrition ever recorded, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said, according to CNN.

An estimated one in four Afghans — nearly 10 million people — are suffering from acute food insecurity, the WFP reported. One in three children is stunted due to chronic undernutrition.

The crisis has been worsened by a drastic reduction in humanitarian food aid over the past two years. In April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration ended all food shipments to Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries.

Mass deportations of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, particularly Iran, have also increased pressure. WFP says it has assisted 60,000 returnees from Iran over the past two months.

WFP spokesperson Ziauddin Safi said $15 million is needed to support all returnees, and $539 million is required to assist the most vulnerable households across the country through January 2026.

Meanwhile, drought, water scarcity, shrinking arable land, and flash floods are further worsening the crisis, according to National Environmental Agency head Matiullah Khalis.