KABUL — The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has estimated that around 14.4 million people in Afghanistan will require health assistance in 2026.
OCHA said that humanitarian actors plan to reach half of these individuals, a target that will require $190.8 million in funding. Children, women, and people with disabilities are considered the highest priority for aid. “In 2026, an estimated 14.4M people need healthcare services and 7.2M are planned to be reached, among them: 54% are children, 24% are women, and 10% are people with disabilities.”
The UN agency also reported that in the current year, 21.9 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance, including food, health care, and basic services. Of these, 17.5 million people have been prioritized for aid, requiring a total of $1.72 billion to meet their urgent needs.
Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that they are struggling with severe funding shortfalls. Last year, many agencies reported that due to insufficient budgets, millions of vulnerable Afghans were removed from aid distribution lists, leaving them without critical support.
OCHA emphasized that Afghanistan’s health system is under extreme pressure, with decades of conflict, economic collapse, and sanctions contributing to widespread poverty and vulnerability. The UN agency called for urgent international funding to prevent further deterioration of public health services.
