UNICEF has warned that 3.7 million children under the age of five in Afghanistan face a heightened risk of undernutrition in 2026, driven by deepening food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and widening funding gaps. The alarm comes in a new report titled 'Too Little, Too Late: The Diet Crisis Facing Young Children in Afghanistan', released ahead of the country's peak malnutrition season.

Scale of the Crisis

According to the report, acute malnutrition has deteriorated in 26 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces compared to 2025 — and conditions are worsening even before the annual peak malnutrition season, which runs primarily from July to September. The speed of deterioration has alarmed humanitarian officials, who note that the worst is likely still ahead.

UNICEF data shows that 83 per cent of severe malnutrition cases and 77 per cent of moderate acute malnutrition cases occur among children below two years of age — the most critical window for physical and cognitive development. Children in severely food-insecure households are reportedly up to six times more likely to experience severe wasting during the peak period.

What UNICEF Said

Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF's Representative in Afghanistan, said: 'This new evidence gives us an opportunity to act before children reach the point of severe malnutrition. When families begin reducing meals or cutting back on nutritious foods it is not only a sign of hardship. It is a warning that a child may soon become dangerously wasted. Treatment saves lives, but we must also invest in prevention, starting with the diets of the youngest children and pregnant women.'

Compounding Factors

Beyond poor diets and food insecurity, UNICEF identified several overlapping drivers of the crisis: disease outbreaks, low immunisation coverage, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, and growing supply and funding gaps. The agency called for coordinated action across nutrition, health, WASH, education, and social protection sectors.

This comes amid a broader water emergency in Afghanistan. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in June 2026 that 16 million people in Afghanistan will need access to clean water and sanitation services this year. OCHA noted that water scarcity is exposing children to greater health risks and forcing communities to adopt increasingly desperate coping mechanisms.

A Long-Running Emergency

Afghanistan has faced recurring droughts, inadequate water-management infrastructure, and entrenched poverty for decades. Humanitarian agencies have consistently flagged that climate-related shocks are placing additional pressure on already fragile communities. The 2026 malnutrition outlook represents a continuation — and in many provinces, an acceleration — of a crisis that has persisted through successive political upheavals and international funding withdrawals.

With the peak malnutrition season now underway, agencies warn that without immediate and scaled intervention, the number of children requiring emergency treatment will rise sharply in the coming months.