Of these, more than 1 million children are expected to suffer from the most severe form of malnutrition

UNICEF and Action Against Hunger, chair and co-chair of the Afghanistan Nutrition Cluster, warned today that acute malnutrition is worsening across Afghanistan, with over 4 million children expected to require treatment in 2027, the highest number recorded in the past five years.

The latest Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) for Acute Malnutrition, released today, shows the situation next year is expected to worsen. The number of provinces facing critical levels of malnutrition has increased from 7 in 2025 to 10 in 2026 and is projected to reach 14 in 2027, more than one-third of Afghanistan’s provinces. The 2027 prediction reflects the impact of a seasonal rise in malnutrition, as well as an anticipated funding cliff that could reduce access to preventive nutrition services and disrupt life-saving treatment for children who need it most.

The IPC analysis shows that the most severe form of acute malnutrition is also rising fastest. An estimated 1.09 million children are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2027, a 16 per cent increase from 2026, while nearly 3 million children are expected to experience moderate acute malnutrition. Behind these figures are children at greater risk of illness, developmental delays and, in the most severe cases, death if treatment is not available. Nearly 1.3 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are expected to suffer from malnutrition in the same period.

Multiple factors are driving this worsening crisis. For too many families, putting nutritious food on the table and accessing safe water is becoming harder. Only one in three children aged 6 to 24 months currently gets the right combination of nutritious foods to support their healthy growth and development.