The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that by the year 2025, more than 3.5 million children under five and 1.15 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in Afghanistan will face acute malnutrition.
On Tuesday, December 17, the organization published a report providing statistics indicating that malnutrition in Afghanistan has significantly increased compared to last year, exacerbating the nutritional crisis in the country.
The WFP attributed the primary causes of this situation to severe poverty, widespread diseases, and limited access to healthcare services.
Furthermore, the organization emphasized the urgent need for action to prevent the situation from worsening.
According to the WFP report, 11.6 million people, equivalent to 25% of the population, are in a state of crisis or worse, while this figure had reached 15.3 million in 2023.
The report also indicates that forecasts show that during the winter months from November 2024 to March 2025, the number of individuals in need of urgent food assistance will increase to 14.8 million.
The report highlights that malnutrition in Afghanistan is rising sharply, with approximately 3.5 million children under five and 1.15 million pregnant and breastfeeding women at risk of acute malnutrition by 2025. This represents a 28% increase compared to 2024.
The WFP emphasized that eight out of ten families in Afghanistan cannot secure enough food for their dietary needs.
To address this crisis, the organization has initiated its winter operations and plans to provide food assistance to over six million people from November 2024 to April 2025.
The report states that among those in need, 1.5 million individuals live in hard-to-reach areas such as Badakhshan, Bamyan, Ghor, and Daikundi, which will face heavy snowfall.
According to the organization, over 62,000 tons of food have already been sent to these areas, and distribution has begun for 854,000 people.
Additionally, the report mentions that nearly 819,000 children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are enrolled in the organization’s malnutrition prevention programs.
The World Food Program further stressed the immediate need for increased international support and warned that without effective assistance, the achievements made in combating food crises will be at risk of being lost in Afghanistan.
