KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan has fallen to 116th out of 127 countries in this year’s Global Hunger Index, signaling the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The country scored 30.8, down from last year’s rank of 114 and a score of 30.6. This decline reflects the deepening food insecurity gripping Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
The data paints a grim picture: 30.4% of Afghans suffer from malnutrition, with 5.8% of children dying before age five. Nearly half of children under five—44.6%—are stunted from chronic malnutrition, while 3.6% are underweight due to acute malnutrition.
Classified as “serious,” Afghanistan’s hunger crisis places it among 35 other nations facing similar threats. Over 24 million people now require urgent humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
Experts warn that Afghanistan’s prospects for meeting the UN’s goal of ending hunger by 2030 are fading. The Taliban’s rule has worsened economic instability, restricted humanitarian operations, and limited aid, leaving millions in deeper hardship. The international community continues to struggle with how to effectively respond to the crisis.
Since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with its collapsed economy cutting off access to basic needs. Children, the most vulnerable, are especially impacted. According to the UN, over 12 million children—out of a total of nearly 24 million people—require urgent humanitarian aid this year.
Last month, UNICEF reported admitting over 343,000 Afghan children for acute malnutrition treatment since January 2024. The agency is the sole supplier of therapeutic food necessary to combat severe malnutrition in the country. In Nangarhar alone, at least 700 children have died from malnutrition and seasonal diseases over the past six months, according to health sources.
The death toll is likely much higher, particularly in remote areas, as many cases remain unreported due to limited media access and the Taliban’s strict restrictions on information flow.
In May, Save the Children said that over 6 million Afghan children face hunger at crisis or emergency levels, with nearly 3 million under five suffering from acute malnutrition.