UNICEF Warns Middle East Crisis Could Undermine Afghanistan’s Growth

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in its annual report, has stated that Afghanistan’s economic outlook continues to face widespread and persistent poverty.

The report notes that inflation, after surging in 2022, has declined. Although real GDP growth has been positive from 2023 up to now, and projections for 2026 and 2027 are also positive, these conditions may be negatively affected by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Tajuddin Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said: “For us as UNICEF, we look at the child and the family in totality. And that’s why when we talk about multidimensional poverty, we look into not only monetary poverty in the household, which is important, but also access of children and their families to social services. And when you remember that we had around 2.8 million Afghans returning to the country last year, the strain on social services means that we have to do more for children.”

In another part of the report, expressing concern over restrictions on education for girls above grade six and limitations on women’s participation in the labor market, including female national staff in UN-related offices in Afghanistan statistics have been published showing that last year nearly 23.2 million people, including 11.7 million children, needed humanitarian assistance.

Nearly 2.8 million Afghans returned from neighboring countries, more than 118,000 people were affected by natural disasters, nearly one-quarter of the population lacks access to primary healthcare services, 90 percent of children live in food poverty, and one in every five children is engaged in hard labor.

Key figures from UNICEF’s 2025 report:

• 23.2 million people, including 11.7 million children, in need of humanitarian assistance
• 2.8 million Afghans returned from neighboring countries
• 18,137 people affected by natural disasters
• 90% of children living in food poverty
• 400,000 people affected by the climate crisis
• 1 in 5 children engaged in hard labor
• 2.2 million girls deprived of education beyond grade six
• 189 children killed or injured by explosive remnants

Mohammad Nabi Afghan, an economic analyst, said: “If the international community truly works for humanity, they should fund us not only for the present but for the future. They should cooperate with us on infrastructure projects so that we can achieve self-sufficiency in the future.”

The Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, while confirming a decrease in inflation and an increase in GDP, stated that despite challenges in the Middle East, prices inside the country have been maintained.

Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “Given the regional and Middle Eastern tensions, we have tried to prevent increases in the prices of essential goods and fuel and to maintain price stability in the market.”

Meanwhile, in another report, UNICEF described the nutritional situation in ten provinces, including Helmand, Daikundi, Zabul, and Baghlan as critical. It reported that acute child malnutrition nationwide decreased from 9.6% in late 2025 to 8.5% in early 2026, while food insecurity among children increased from 81% to 85%.