World Food Programme data shows unskilled workers averaging only two days of work weekly amid high staple prices, weak purchasing power and provincial disparities that leave many households unable to cover essential needs.

Day labourers across Afghanistan are struggling to put food on the table, with the average unskilled worker able to cover only half the cost of a basic food basket in August, according to the latest World Food Programme (WFP) monthly market monitoring. Limited job opportunities, stagnant wages and elevated prices for key staples continue to erode household purchasing power, even as the national economy shows modest overall growth.

WFP’s analysis, drawn from data collected across all 34 provincial capitals, paints a stark picture of economic pressure on the country’s large informal workforce. Unskilled labourers found an average of just 2.1 days of work per week in August, a slight improvement from two days in July but still 14 per cent below both the level recorded a year earlier and the three-year average. Their average daily wage held steady at 308 afghanis, or roughly $4.70 at the report’s average exchange rate of 65.4 afghanis to the US dollar.

Limited Work Days Squeeze Monthly Earnings

Based on these figures, WFP estimated that a casual labourer’s monthly income could cover only 50 per cent of the cost of its basic in-kind food basket. The situation varied sharply by province. In Baghlan, where the food basket was among the least expensive, estimated earnings could cover 94 per cent of its cost. In Nuristan, where food prices were high and work was especially scarce, the same income covered just 17 per cent.

A related WFP weekly market report covering the first week of September showed little improvement. Unskilled labourers earned an average of about 302 afghanis a day but still found work for only two days a week. Work availability remained 13 per cent lower than a year earlier and 17 per cent below the three-year average. A day’s wage could buy just 10.2 kilograms of low-priced wheat flour – 14 per cent less than a year ago and 10 per cent below the three-year average.

These constraints stem from multiple factors. Limited employment opportunities, increased competition for daily work – partly driven by the return of large numbers of Afghans from neighboring countries – and ongoing restrictions on women’s participation in the labour market continue to suppress household incomes. WFP noted that the recovery in the broader economy has not kept pace with population growth, limiting gains in per capita income and resilience.

Food Prices Stay Stubbornly High

The pressure on incomes comes against a backdrop of persistently elevated food prices. In August, several staples remained significantly more expensive than a year earlier. Sholae rice was 32 per cent higher, Palawi rice 25 per cent higher, wheat grain 14 per cent higher, low-price wheat flour 12 per cent higher, cooking oil 11 per cent higher and sugar 8 per cent higher. Potatoes saw one of the sharpest rises, jumping 49 per cent year-on-year to an average of 33.5 afghanis per kilogram.

Some items eased. Pulses were 13 per cent cheaper than a year earlier, onions were down 6 per cent and bread prices fell 3 per cent. Overall, WFP’s in-kind food basket cost an average of 5,410 afghanis, or about $83, in August – up 3 per cent from a year earlier. A separate Food Security and Agriculture Cluster basket used for cash assistance calculations cost 6,036 afghanis, or roughly $92, up 9 per cent in afghani terms from the previous year.

By early September, the pattern held. Potato prices remained 43 per cent higher year-on-year, lower-priced Sholae rice was up 35 per cent, Palawi rice 22 per cent, cooking oil 14 per cent, wheat grain 13 per cent, low-priced wheat flour 12 per cent and sugar 11 per cent. The cost of WFP’s food basket stood at 6,055 afghanis, or about $94, in the first week of September – 4.4 per cent above the cash transfer value of 5,800 afghanis set in October 2025. The increase remained below the threshold that would trigger an automatic revision of the transfer value.

Inflation and Rising Costs Compound the Strain

Headline inflation stood at 7.5 per cent year-on-year in July, the latest figure cited in the monthly report. Food inflation was 7 per cent and non-food inflation 7.9 per cent. Health costs rose 19.2 per cent, housing 13.1 per cent and transportation 8.2 per cent from a year earlier, adding further pressure on already stretched household budgets.

Fuel and agricultural input costs also climbed. Diesel averaged 76.7 afghanis, or about $1.17, per liter in August – up 3.3 per cent from July and 15 per cent from a year earlier. By early September it had edged higher still, averaging 79.7 afghanis, or roughly $1.24, per liter – 14 per cent above the previous year and 18 per cent above the three-year average. Fertilizer prices declined slightly from July but remained well above 2025 levels. A 50-kilogram bag of urea cost an average of 2,194 afghanis (about $34), up 35 per cent year-on-year, while DAP fertilizer averaged 4,665 afghanis (about $71), up 15 per cent.

The afghani strengthened modestly against the dollar, averaging 65.4 to the dollar in August – 4.5 per cent stronger than a year earlier. By the first week of September it had firmed further to around 64.5. WFP said the stronger currency helped cushion some imported price pressures, yet high transportation costs, regional trade disruptions and elevated international commodity prices continued to affect Afghan markets. Afghanistan remains particularly vulnerable to external shocks because of its heavy reliance on imports for major food and non-food commodities.

Broader Economic Context Offers Little Relief

WFP observed that Afghanistan’s economy continues to show modest growth, supported by domestic demand and the return of large numbers of Afghans. However, this recovery is not keeping pace with population growth. “Limited income opportunities, widespread poverty and subsistence insecurity, and gaps in access to basic services continue to constrain household resilience,” the agency stated in its monthly report.

Independent assessments reinforce the picture. FEWS NET projections indicate that Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected to persist through early 2027 in parts of the central highlands, east, northeast, southwest and urban areas, with additional provinces likely to deteriorate starting in October. Despite a relatively favorable 2026 harvest, many poor households entered the season with eroded assets after consecutive years of drought and below-average production. Agricultural labour opportunities during the winter wheat planting season are expected to provide only marginal income gains, as planting is less labour-intensive than other crops and is often handled by landowners themselves.

Humanitarian needs remain extremely high. Nearly one-third of the population – around 13.8 million people – are projected to experience acute food insecurity, while millions of women and children require treatment for malnutrition. Funding shortfalls have forced aid agencies, including WFP, to prioritize the most vulnerable, reaching far fewer people than those in need.

Provincial and Household Realities Differ Sharply

The national averages mask deep regional differences. Provinces with higher food costs and fewer work opportunities, such as Nuristan, face the most severe shortfalls. Urban centers, where competition for casual labour is intense due to returnees, also show strained purchasing power. Pastoralist households face parallel pressures: the terms of trade for livestock against wheat flour remain well below both last year’s levels and the three-year average.

For families dependent on daily wages, the arithmetic is unforgiving. Even when work is available, earnings fall far short of covering a nutritionally adequate diet once other essential costs – rent, health, transport and fuel – are factored in. Many households resort to coping strategies that further undermine long-term resilience, including reduced meal frequency, reliance on less nutritious foods, sale of productive assets or accumulation of debt.

Outlook Hinges on Jobs, Prices and Aid

Looking ahead, the combination of limited casual work, elevated staple prices and population pressures leaves little room for improvement without stronger job creation or sustained humanitarian support. Seasonal factors may offer temporary relief after the harvest, but the winter lean season typically brings renewed strain as household food stocks dwindle and labour demand falls.

WFP continues to monitor markets weekly and monthly through third-party data collection in all provincial capitals. Its reports underscore that while markets remain generally well supplied, affordability – not availability – is the binding constraint for millions of Afghan households. Until income opportunities expand and prices ease more meaningfully, day labourers will continue to face a daily struggle to secure even half of what is needed for a basic diet.