Afghanistan remains the most food-insecure country across the world, with 75 per cent people facing livelihood instability and more than 12 million urgently requiring food aid.
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KABUL — Afghanistan remains the most food-insecure country across the world, with 75 per cent people facing livelihood instability and more than 12 million urgently requiring food aid as drought and poverty deepens in the nation, a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report detailed on Friday.
According to the FAO report, Afghanistan has once again been ranked at the top in the list of nations facing food insecurity in 2024 and 2025. The report released by FAO on Wednesday stated that 295 million people in 53 nations are facing acute hunger, which showcases a rise of 13 million compared to 2023, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.
Afghanistan has been included in the FAO's chronic hunger list since 2016, alongside Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen due to political turmoil, humanitarian crisis and climate change impacts. Poverty remains one of the main drivers of worsening food insecurity in Afghanistan. The return of over 1.6 million Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, falling international aid and strict economic restrictions have pushed millions of Afghans below the poverty line.
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According to the UN, 75 per cent of Afghanistan's population faces livelihood insecurity and more than 12 million urgently require food assistance. Consecutive droughts, mass unemployment and damaged agricultural infrastructure have severely weakened domestic food production capacity of Afghanistan.
Crops have destroyed and livestock farming has been disrupted in Ghor and Badakhshan provinces of Afghanistan. Women and children are particularly vulnerable in Afghanistan. Taliban's restrictions on jobs and education of women have further cut families from critical sources of income.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that hunger-related deaths in Afghanistan will continue to surge sharply without increased humanitarian aid. FAO officials have said that Afghanistan’s food crisis demonstrates a dangerous mix of conflict, climate shocks, and collapsing livelihoods. Aid agencies have reiterated their call for support from international community, warning that Afghanistan risks spiraling into one of the world’s worst hunger disasters if there is no sustained funding and access for relief operations.