Afghanistan is confronting an escalating humanitarian emergency as freezing winter conditions, widespread food insecurity and sharp reductions in international aid leave millions struggling to survive, aid agencies have warned.
Families across the country are living in makeshift shelters, burning scraps of wood and rubbish to stay warm and scavenging for food amid soaring prices and limited work opportunities, according to United Nations assessments.
More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are now facing acute food insecurity this winter (up by about three million from last year) and nearly 4.7 million could reach emergency levels of hunger, the World Food Programme (WFP) has said.
The crisis has been compounded this year by the return of more than 2.6 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan, driven largely by tightened migration policies and deteriorating protection conditions. This has placed further strain on limited local resources and services, according to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
Aid organisations report surging malnutrition, particularly among children and women, while clinics and distribution points are overwhelmed.
Samiullah, a 55-year-old Afghan deportee from Iran, described the daily struggle with cold and hunger.
“We live here out of necessity and hardship. Whatever is within our power, we will do. Our hearts long for many things, but we simply cannot afford them. When the wind and rain come, we hold our children close and keep going — because we have no choice. The children cry that it’s cold, but what can we do? We endure because we have to.”
He also spoke of days without sufficient food.
“There was a time we went hungry for two days. I had only 50 Afghanis ($0.75), and with that small amount, we bought bread for the children. We tore it into pieces and shared it among them. Adults can endure hunger, but children cannot. For two days, we survived on just 50 Afghanis.”
Alarming statistics
WFP estimates that around 4.9 million mothers and children in Afghanistan will need treatment for malnutrition by March 2026, and that nearly one in five people in the country face extreme hunger due to the confluence of drought, displacement and economic decline.
John Aylieff, WFP’s country director, warned of an alarming escalation in hunger, saying that one third of the population are experiencing acute hunger.
According to Aylieff, the situation is dramatically worse than last year due to a confluence of factors.
"There's a drought in the north. Malnutrition is rising exponentially. We have the return of 2.5 million people this year to Afghanistan. The forced return. All these things are coming together to create a perfect storm for Afghanistan,” he stated.
Humanitarian organisations also stress that funding shortfalls have left them badly overstretched, reaching only a fraction of those in need while long queues form at food distribution sites.
The United Nations and its partners have launched a $1.7 billion appeal to assist nearly 18 million people, but resources are declining; this year’s appeal reflects a reduction in aid compared with 2025, even as needs grow.
Crisis outlook
More than 45% of Afghanistan’s population (roughly 21.9 million people) is estimated to need humanitarian assistance in 2026, with the worst impacts expected through the lean season and winter months.
Aid groups have repeatedly warned that, without additional support, malnutrition and food insecurity could worsen, with especially severe consequences for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The humanitarian organisation Save the Children estimates that more than 9 million Afghan children face critical hunger this winter, with malnutrition admissions rising sharply compared with last year.
The crisis highlights the challenges of overlapping emergencies in Afghanistan, where decades of conflict, economic hardship, environmental disasters and restricted humanitarian access continue to erode resilience among the most vulnerable families.
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