According to the WFP Afghanistan is spiralling into unprecedented levels of hunger this winter. Around three million more people are now classified as facing acute food insecurity or worse compared with last year.

As Afghanistan enters the harshest months of winter, a deepening hunger crisis threatens the lives and health of millions across the country, according to two major humanitarian reports this week. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that more than 17 million Afghans are facing acute food insecurity, while Save the Children forecasts that over 9 million children will experience critical levels of hunger by early 2026.

The twin warnings paint a grim picture of overlapping emergencies – from drought and earthquakes to economic collapse and funding shortfalls – leaving families with dwindling food supplies and scant support.

WFP: Acute Food Insecurity for Millions

According to the WFP, an updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report reveals that Afghanistan is spiralling into unprecedented levels of hunger this winter. Around three million more people are now classified as facing acute food insecurity or worse compared with last year.

John Aylieff, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, described scenes of families “skipping meals for days on end” and resorting to desperate survival strategies as food stocks run out and economic opportunities dry up. The agency stressed that funding cuts have sharply limited life-saving assistance, hindering efforts to deliver critical food aid at a time when needs are soaring.

Afghanistan is contending with multiple shocks: prolonged drought has devastated crops and livestock; widespread job losses have pushed households into poverty; and recent earthquakes left thousands homeless. Forced returns of Afghan migrants from neighbouring countries have compounded pressure on already strained communities.

Despite this, the WFP currently lacks the resources needed to mount a large-scale winter response while sustaining emergency food and nutrition programmes nationwide. The agency estimates a minimum of $468 million is urgently required to provide life-saving food assistance to six million of the most vulnerable through the winter months.

Children at Severe Risk: Save the Children’s Alarm

Adding to these warnings, Save the Children reports that more than one-third of Afghan children – over 9 million – are expected to face severe hunger by March 2026 amid steep declines in humanitarian funding.

The organization’s analysis of the latest IPC data shows a sharp increase in child malnutrition, with nearly 3.7 million children under five suffering from acute malnutrition – a rise from last year’s figures. At the same time, pregnant and breastfeeding women are also experiencing alarming levels of food insecurity.

Clinics run by Save the Children reported a 13 per cent increase in admissions of malnourished children and women earlier this year, underscoring the escalating crisis on the ground.

With humanitarian funding dwindling, critical supplementary feeding programmes risk being scaled back or halted altogether. Estimates suggest that only about one million people nationwide will receive food assistance in the coming months – nearly six times fewer than in 2024.

Families in Crisis: Stories from the Ground

The grim statistics translate into harrowing real-world impacts for Afghan families. In southern Afghanistan, 60-year-old Khalid, a day labourer, described how drought has “destroyed our lives,” leaving him with sporadic work and barely enough to feed his family. His eight-month-old child was recently treated for malnutrition at a clinic supported by humanitarian partners.

Every winter, malnutrition risks worsen as cold weather heightens susceptibility to disease, reduces work opportunities, and pushes up the cost of basic necessities such as food and fuel. Many families face agonizing choices – withdrawing children from school or sending them to work to secure meals.

Humanitarian Funding Gaps Worsen the Outlook

A shared concern among international aid agencies is the decline in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan. Both the WFP and Save the Children emphasise that reduced donor support has forced the closure of hundreds of health clinics and nutrition centres, leaving vulnerable populations without essential services.

Currently, the number of clinics and supplementary feeding services operational across the country has dropped significantly, compounding the difficulty of reaching those most in need during winter’s peak.

Aid experts warn that if funding is not restored urgently, the country faces a worsening cascade of hunger, malnutrition and long-term health consequences – particularly for children whose physical and cognitive development could be permanently harmed.

Call for Renewed International Commitment

Both reports conclude with urgent appeals for renewed global attention and financial support. The WFP’s Aylieff urged the international community to “bring Afghanistan’s crisis back into the headlines” to ensure vulnerable populations receive life-saving assistance.

Similarly, Save the Children’s Samira Sayed Rahman called on donors to immediately restore funds for health and nutrition programmes, warning that no child should fall sick or die because there is not enough food.

Without swift action, Afghanistan’s winter hunger crisis – driven by economic collapse, conflict, environmental shocks and dwindling aid – may push millions deeper into desperation.