Afghanistan child malnutrition reaches record levels as UN calls for $540 million aid

UN agencies warn that acute malnutrition among Afghan children is hitting a record, with an estimated 3.7 million children at risk this year and more than 13 000 already without nutrition treatment after 142 health centres closed in 2025.

The crisis is driven by ongoing conflict, rising food prices, unemployment, epidemics, water‑sanitation shortages and a nine‑month closure of the Pakistan border, leaving nearly one million women and children without essential nutrition services. The UN agency urges donors to provide $540 million in the next six months to prevent further child deaths.